Cursed
by monotask007
Summary: Chapter 5 pt. 1: Our Greatest Mistakes. here you go people a bit of the drama of the Bebop. Read and Review.
1. New Adventures

Author's Note: This story is the sequel to 'Guarded', going with the same timeline of events in that story. I'm pretty sure that you won't need to have read 'Guarded' to understand what's going on, seeing as this is a completely different plot. But if you like action/adventure stories go for it! This story is set 1 year and eight months ( I don't really have a reason for the amount of time other than I wanted it to be substantial but not too much, and I'm just random like that) after the events of 'Guarded'. This one I'm going to say is going to be straight out action/adventure with that little bit of tension added in for good measure. So enough of the babbling, on with the show! (Note: I don't own them, I just like to pretend I do. Standard disclaimers apply to all chapters).  
  
Cursed  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The street lights were all dimmed now on Haley Nine, it was just another one of those strange power fluctuations that happened on a nightly basis on the old Space station. Those dim lights were the porch lights of the homeless. Not to mention a refuge and blessing to the despicable creatures of the night that plague the once beautiful station. Hidden in every dark alley way was a plethora of criminals, ranging from the lowly pickpocket to the menacing killer.  
  
However, tonight was a rather tame night for the usually active criminals of Haley Nine.  
  
All except for Sixth and Vine, that intersection was seeing more action than it ever had before. A figure ran along the pavement, bare feet slapping hard on the waste covered sidewalk.  
  
Ed slammed her back into the slimy brick wall behind her and slid, not so gracefully, on to the ground in the alley.  
  
Sweat rolled from her temples, causing her bright orange hair to cling to her face, and take on a slightly less vibrant hue. Luckily, she still kept it cut short, otherwise she would have been more of a mess. The small framed sixteen year old brought a tanned hand up and wiped the sweat away, casting a quick glance behind her.  
  
"Ein?" She called out quietly into the darkness that now surrounded her. "Ein-doggy?" She let her wide almond eyes dart around a bit. Where was Ein? He was supposed to wait right here.  
  
Suddenly Ed felt the tip of a cold wet nose press up against her elbow, she almost shrieked with fright. She quickly clasped a hand over her mouth and did a front summersault, followed by a quick turn around to look at the owner of the cold wet nose. Ein watched as the Ed sat on her haunches, hand clasped tight over her mouth. He titled his head to the side, and barked once.  
  
"Shhhhhhh!" Ed scrambled over to the dog on her hands and knees, and placed her hand over the dog's snout. Ein let out a tiny bit of a whine. If Jet or Spike had heard that sound they would have known it was a whine of annoyance at the young girl. Ed's eyes continued to dart about the dark alley way, as her ears began to pick up the sound of running footsteps coming her way.  
  
"Shit, Ein-doggy," Ed said, but then shook her head. "Sorry bad word." She patted the dog on the head, and scooted her butt back so that she was further hidden in the shadows of the alley way. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she would make herself invisible.  
  
"Over here!" A man's voice piped out from the other side of the alleyway. "I think I heard something." The man then stepped into the alley way, and Ed did the only thing she could think of. She threw Ein at him.  
  
A large whine and bark went through the air, which was stopped abruptly when Ein's body smacked into the man's head. Ed then let out a victory laugh and jumped to her bare feet, hands fisted in triumph held high in the air.  
  
"Way to go Ein!" Ed shouted, but then quickly threw her hands over her mouth again. Maybe this was what Spike-person called her "complete inability to act normal". Just as Ed's hands clasped over her mouth the man got to his feet, and was now backed up by two others. Ed's eyes went wide and she let out a low whistle. "Uh oh." She started to back up, and found herself knocked into a large steel trashcan.  
  
She looked behind her, and smiled as her eyes came upon the perfect weapon. She laughed wickedly as she picked up the pair of nun chucks, and began whooshing them through the air at her foes.  
  
The nun chucks were in actuality an old tattered pair of sneakers tied together by the shoe strings. And the men were a bit startled at the strange kid's behavior. Then again, if they knew Ed they wouldn't have been the least bit surprised.  
  
Ed stepped forward and then readied her fighting stance. She spread her legs and bent her knees a bit to make sure she had herself well balanced. She continued to swing the 'nun chucks' around her wildly. And for this whole time she made those same strange noises that she heard on one of Spike-person's old kung-fu movies.  
  
"Uh, what do we do with it?" One of the men asked as he scratched his head.  
  
"We take," the first man stopped and ruffled his brow in confusion at the small girl that was now jumping around in circles while swinging an old pair of sneakers around her frame. The whooping sound that she was making obviously pointed to a mental disorder. "We take her back to the boss. You know how pissed off he was."  
  
"Yeah," the man who scratched his head said nodding. "It's just, she's weird."  
  
"What you afraid of some crazy little girl?" the other man in the group said in a gruff voice. He then pushed past his two buddies and approached Ed.  
  
Ed stopped swinging the shoes and jumping in circles the instant that the man began to move. She now stood in her 'fighting stance' holding the shoes with the tied laces drawn taut in front of her. Her breathing was back to normal and she snarled and growled at the man approaching her.  
  
"Hi there, little girl." The man said in a mocking voice. He hunched his large shoulders, causing his beer belly to jut out further over his tightly belted pants. He reached out a bulky hand towards her. "You want some candy? We can get you candy? Every little girl likes candy."  
  
Ed let her snarl drop and pulled her head back to stare more openly at the man who was still slowly approaching her. She raised a brow as the man's large stubble filled face grew a wide grin at his progress. Did this guy seriously think she was that stupid? Ed shook her head.  
  
Just as the man was about to reach out and grab the shoe laces that Ed still held in front of her, she let the one shoe drop. Ed then proceeded to kick that shoe very hard hitting the hunched over man right in the nose, breaking it upon impact. She turned herself around and used her own momentum to swing the shoe in a violent arch right for the man's kneecap.  
  
"AHHHH!" The man let out a yell as he clasped his hands over his bleeding nose and fell to one knee. "Damn crazy kid."  
  
At the fat man's yell the other two sprung out of their state of shock and leapt into action. Just as the leader went to take a step forward to help his friend, Ein bit his ankle and wouldn't let go. The genius welsh corgi held tight to the man's pants, snarling as he pulled back with all his might.  
  
Ed let out another one of those Spike-person movie whoops and jumped up high, landing hard on the half fallen over form of the fat man. "Dumb- head!" Ed said in bit of sing-song voice as she then jumped off the now flattened fat man's back. While air-born Ed gave a big smile to the next guy. She planted her feet into his chest and sent him flying back out of the alley and right into a large pile of trash.  
  
The lead guy finally got loose of Ein by kicking the poor old dog. He slammed his hand down on Ed's bony shoulder, and proceeded to turn her around to face him. Ed held her 'nun chucks' by one side and let the other flow free around the man's head. The tied shoestrings went directly into the man's mouth and the shoe circled his head twice before finally smashing him in the face. Ed then kicked the man in the shins with her hard as rocks bare feet, as a bit of payback for Ein. She then ran from the alley with Ein nipping at her heels.  
  
"Like water! Ein-doggy!" she yelled as she smiled down at the dog. Ein barked up at her. "Spike-person would be so proud." She paused for a second after turning down the next street. "Too bad we can't tell him about it." She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well. Come on let's go home." Ed then made for the docks and the Bebop.  
  
***  
  
Spike sat on his couch in the common room, a cigarette in his slightly smirking mouth, completely content. He had his arms spread along the back of the couch, and his head tilted back so that he could watch amusedly as his smoke trailed up to the ceiling fan and got hacked to bits by the blades. Life was good.  
  
He and Jet had just brought in a 80 million woolong bounty, and they didn't even break a sweat.  
  
He had cigarettes-a-plenty now because he now had the money to buy them.  
  
And best of all, Ed was out.  
  
Where? Hell if he knew, but she was out. He let his eyes wander to the window that Jet was once again walking past. The kid was sixteen now, and very capable of handling herself. Jet was just being himself and worrying.  
  
Spike turned his eyes back up to the ceiling fan and smiled again. Then he began to let his cigarette bob on his lips a bit.  
  
Ed was older now, and she knew how to take care of herself. Plus she had the dog with her, and together those two were a force to be reckoned with. Strange and disturbing as that may seem, it was completely true. Ed was fine, she usually went off by herself when they docked now.  
  
Spike brought his head up from its resting position and narrowed his eyes at the table. Of course, she had never been out quite so long before. It was getting close to 1 in the morning, and Jet wanted to get the hell out of dodge.  
  
Spike blew out a thick puff of smoke at the table. And he'd admit Haley Nine was no place for a kid to be messing about at.  
  
"Damn it." Spike mumbled and then threw his head back against the back of the couch and resumed his resting. Ed was fine.  
  
Jet tossed the dingy red towel, that had more bleach stains on it than Ed's first laundry attempt could fully be blamed for, over his shoulder and stood across from the still lounging Spike. He crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes once again wandered over to the large window.  
  
He'd just finished his fifth very obviously worried walk in front of the window, and had enough of this Spike not being worried to bullshit. Jet knew he was worried. He knew it.  
  
Spike is just the type of asshole to never admit to it, and usually never have to. Jet narrowed his eyes at the window, and decided that it was about time to burst Spike's contented little bubble.  
  
"We shouldn't have let her go out here," Jet grumbled. "We should have made her stay put."  
  
"Oh and how were we going to do that Jet?" Spike said rolling his eyes at the older man's blatant attempt to kill his happy-time. "The girl is growing up and gaining some of that all together annoying attitude that women seem to get around that age. You know I thought we were done with women with the bad attitudes." Spike smiled as he said it, but as he let his head fall back on to the couch to rest, his smile faded. He hated that. She wasn't even here, and hadn't been for a long time, and yet she could still help Jet bring him down off of a good happy-time.  
  
Jet let out a gruff sigh and continued to stare out the window.  
  
"She's a big girl." Spike said rocking his head to the side to look at his partner. Jet then grimaced at Spike and began pacing again. This was the sixth pacing session since they had returned from handing in the bounty. Spike sat up and butted out his cigarette, resting his hands on his knees. He watched Jet pace, finding it just so damn familiar. Then a sly grin started to snake across Spike's thin lips.  
  
"So," he began gaining the older man's attention. Jet stopped and regarded Spike from over his shoulder. It was just too soon for Spike to be giving in to the idea of going out looking for her. Jet narrowed his eyes at Spike waiting for the second shoe to fall. "Do you get like this with all women?" Spike continued, fully noting Jet's apprehensive expression turn to instant anger. But did he care? Hell no. Especially if it got Jet to stop pacing. "Because I see a pattern that could explain---"  
  
Jet turned to fully face Spike, his angry glare on at full force. Jet was so angry he was about ready to pop, just about ready to charge and kill Spike. All Jet was waiting for was Spike to finish his sentence. Spike smiled. It was just too easy sometimes.  
  
"Well?" Jet said through clenched teeth.  
  
Spike sat back on the couch and closed his eyes. "Never mind." Spike smiled. If Faye were here she would have backed him up on the whole Jet being the protective father thing. Or at least she would have laughed and thus taken some of the heat from Jet. It just wasn't as fun to get on the old man's bad side with out somebody else there to take the fall with him.  
  
Jet glared at Spike's smiling face for a couple of seconds, wishing many bad things upon the lanky man. He turned his back on Spike again and looked once again out the dark window. It was now 1:15 am.  
  
Jet knew Faye would have agreed with him on the Ed thing.  
  
A few moments later Spike heard the door opening, and the familiar smack of bare feet on the metal grating down the hall. The sound of a bark was not too long in following.  
  
"You happy now?" Spike said to the quickly spinning form of Jet.  
  
"Shut up." Jet said as he threw the dirty towel on the table. He then plopped himself down into the chair across the table from Spike.  
  
Spike sat up and watched with Jet as Ed came marching into the room.  
  
It amazed Jet that the kid was still just as small as she had been when she was thirteen. Sure, she had grown maybe two or three inches, but that was it. And she was still as skinny and bony as before, and still as freakishly limber.  
  
"Hello," Ed gave them both a large wave, both of her arms moving in a large arch above her head.  
  
"Hi Ed." Spike said back.  
  
Spike then shook his head at the kid. She was soaking wet, and dripping all over the floor. Her short orange hair was as usual stuffed under the white cowboy hat. Which incidentally she hung on a hook at the end of the hallway to the hangar bay every time she left the ship, but put it back on as soon as she entered. She would then proceed to wear the damn hat for a couple of hours eventually putting it back on the hook. This was another one of those new things that developed in Ed after Faye left. The attitude came not long after.  
  
"Why the hell are you all wet?" Jet asked running a hand over his face. His voice sounded defeated, and Spike had to smirk at that. He was so the protective father figure on this ship.  
  
"Ed swam to the ship." Ed said plopping down on the ground between the two men, right before the table. Ein jumped up on Ed's head and sat on top of the white cowboy hat pushing it down over her eyes. She tilted her head a bit so that she could look at the two men with one eye. Which was honestly rather hard considering she had to keep switching her view from one to the other.  
  
Jet let out a sigh and went to the kitchen to no doubt get Ed some dinner. Spike threw the red towel at Ed and gave her a smirk.  
  
"Dry up." He said. Ed then removed Ein from her head, along with the cowboy hat and then put the red towel a top her orange hair.  
  
Spike surveyed the youngest member of the crew. Yeah, he'd admit it, she was an official member of the crew. And there she sat. Bare feet, that he and Jet had decided were made of steel. Black bicycle shorts that were showing a bit of fading in the fabric. And then the only part of the outfit that had changed over the years, the shirt. No longer was it a large men's sleeveless t-shirt that showed more skin than it covered. New 'developments' as Spike had put it, meant new wardrobe. So in its place there was a bright yellow t-shirt, sleeves included, with a hand painted orange smiley face on it. Ed had decided the only way she would were the shirt was if she could make it an Ed original.  
  
Needless to say, Ed at sixteen knew how to dress for success. No shoes. Black bike shorts, a yellow shirt with an orange smiley face, and most often times a large white cowboy hat. Spike shook his head, and stared at the white cowboy hat on the table.  
  
He reached out and picked it up, and began rotating it in his hands. He stared at that hat and let all the memories he had of it come back. A smile snuck its way onto his face.  
  
"Does Spike-person want to wear Ed's Faye-Faye hat?" Ed said peeking at him from behind the red towel as she roughly dried her hair.  
  
"No Ed." Spike said setting the hat back down on the table as he stood up. Spike then walked over to the ladder to the bridge and floated up it. He was going to get the damn ship moving.  
  
Ed sat on the ground and watched Spike float up to the bridge. Once he was fully out of sight, Ed grabbed the white hat and tore away the loose inner lining of the top of the hat. Ed pulled out of her pocket the small bit of shiny metal that she had taken pains to get tonight and shoved it in the hole she made. Placing it along side another piece of similar metal in the hole. She then quickly replaced the lining of the hat, when she heard the footsteps of Jet come back into the room. He carried with him a steaming bowl of something. Ed placed the hat quickly back on her head and smiled up at Jet.  
  
"Jet-person has made Ed soup." Ed said watching wide eyed as Jet set the bowl down on the table in front of Ed. Ed scooted up a bit and just looked at the soup.  
  
"Eat it all." Jet said gruffly but still gave the kid a smile. "Where's Spike?"  
  
"Up. Up UP." Ed sang as she dove her spoon into the soup.  
  
"What's he doing up there?" Jet asked, rolling his eyes after he realized who he was asking. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?"  
  
"I'm getting us off this damn station." Spike said back. The ship then roared to life and Jet was grumbling as he ran to the ladder up to the bridge.  
  
"You're going to kill my ship." Jet said as he went. Ed just smiled.  
  
"Two down, Ein-doggy." She said pointing her spoon at her partner. "Two down and five to go! Let the adventure begin." Ed yelled as she took another heaping spoonful of soup into her mouth.  
  
"We don't even know where we're going yet, Spike." Jet's voice carried down from the bridge and Ed's face lit up with joy.  
  
"Ed, where are we going?" Spike yelled down to her. Ed smiled and jumped to her feet soup bowl, and spoon in hand. "Back to Ganymede."  
  
There was a brief pause over head.  
  
"See, we know where we're going." Spike said and then the ship began to move off the station dock.  
  
Ed danced around with her soup and stared out the window as the took off. The soup went flying all around the common room, but Ed didn't care. Ed wouldn't care. Not while there was adventure on the horizon.  
  
*****  
  
OK, guys that's chapter one, starting out a bit rough I know, but give it some time. I'm hoping to get the chapters up pretty quick, but I promise nothing. Tell me what you think. 


	2. Family Reunion

Cursed  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"That's right, another bounty done in, guys and gals," the shrill voice of the silly red-haired Tabby Guns stated. The giggly, fake voice raked through the souls of every patron in Velma Jean's on Rio 3. Which was a reaction that did not go unnoticed by the thin, slightly sickly looking bartender. He reached up and clicked off the small old monitor and then turned a smiling face back to the woman nursing her third whiskey.  
  
He'd come to know this woman in the past two months. And even though he knew she hated to talk to anyone in the bar, and that she just wanted to sit and enjoy her booze quietly, that never stopped him from saying at least one thing to her. Tonight was no exception.  
  
"That's another of yours I'm guessing." He said coming to a stop directly in front of her. His hands, spindly little things with broken and beaten nails, were rubbing a dirty towel over a dirty glass, while his mind was pretending that it was actually helping.  
  
Faye sighed and ran her finger tip over the top of the slightly cleaner glass in front of her. She then said a silent prayer and downed the drink, before rolling her eyes to the scrawny bartender.  
  
"What would make you say that?" She said quietly, pushing the glass towards the man signaling she needed a refill.  
  
"'Past two months now," the bartender said, still smiling his silly smile. "You've been coming in here, each night you got a bunch more credits, and each night you look like you been through the ringer." The bartender set his dirty towel and cup aside and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from behind him. "I seen your face on the monitor before. Always on the bounty shows. You're a big time bounty hunter. One of the tops. So I just figured."  
  
He ended his sentence there with a shrug and Faye raised an eyebrow at the young bartender. If his use of the English language was any gauge, that amount of figuring had taken quiet a bit of time. She gave the man a small smile as she watched him fill her glass. Her eyes roamed to the surrounding lot in the small bar called Velma Jean's. Rio 3 had been her "home" for two and a half months. It wasn't a bad little shit hole, but it was still a shit-hole. Her eyes landed on a group of three older men huddled together at a small table, the only other patrons in the soon to be closed bar. She watched the smoke pouring from their mouths as they talked over the day's events.  
  
This was her life now, for a little over a year and a half, ever since she left the Bebop. Why did she leave? Too much drama, too much had happened. She needed to find herself, and find those damn greener pastures that are always promised after hard times.  
  
Some greener pastures. Faye gave a sad smirk to her glass and downed it's contents.  
  
She hadn't really found greener anything. Hell, she hadn't found anything at all. She was still leading her half-assed life, this time instead of doing it on Halo, she was shacked up where ever she felt like it. She was still bounty hunting, and as the skinny little bartender had pointed out, she had made quite a name for herself. She was on the top of the list, right along with her old crew members. She was legit now, that was something to be happy about, right? Ever since the ordeal with the Gate Corporation she no longer had to worry about debtors, or being on the run from anything.  
  
Well, nothing but herself anyway.  
  
She still gambled, that was something that would never leave her system. It was her way to make money and then lose it as soon as possible. And she was still getting in trouble. That was something Jet had once said. He told her over a beer and a smoke while waiting for Spike to return from one thing or another. He said that this crew was bound for nothing but trouble, on a highway straight to hell hitting every tiny little rock in the road on the way down. She was sure now that the old man had been completely right, and freakishly so.  
  
Faye watched as the small bartender filled her cup up, and told herself it would be the last one. She had to move on soon. Where? The hell if she knew, she just had to keep moving right now.  
  
This was her life, roaming from place to place, nabbing a bounty here and there, spending the rest of her day at a bar drinking her bruises away, and then moving on to do it all over again. It was really a pretty good life, definitely not the one she expected when she was growing up. But it was better than the one she was handed six years ago after waking up in that damn hospital. This was definitely not the life of Faye Elizabeth Harper.  
  
Faye gave a snort to that as she closed her eyes tight to try and fight off the headache that was threatening to appear.  
  
A year and a half, little over, and she had only run into the guys twice. She guessed that was more than usual what with the size of the galaxy they were in, but still, she would have liked more. Or at least she always thought she would have. The problem was, every time she did see them it had been awkward. Very awkward, actually. An awkward that she just didn't want to deal with yet. She knew she didn't want to deal with it, especially considering the way Spike had locked gazes with her the last time. Faye growled a bit at that memory. It amazed her that even in nothing more than a passing hello, the lunkhead could make her completely uncomfortable and irritated.  
  
She had decided after the Gate Corporation incident, after finding her past, and discovering a betrayal that hurt more than anything, that she deserved a break. She didn't want to deal with anything, anymore. She didn't want ties to things, and she didn't want to lose anything she cared about again. Her moto remained a constant in her head 'Always be the one to leave, never the one left'. She supposed that's what kept her moving from place to place. She didn't want anyone to be able to contact her. Yet somehow those damn mailmen find a way, don't they? Even when she's locked herself in a motel room, on a shit-hole like Rio 3, they still manage to track her down. Those guys would make damn good bounty hunters.  
  
Faye let her fingers graze the message that had been delivered to her three weeks ago. The piece of paper that still sat in her pants pocket, burning a hole into her thigh. Death was never something that should be mailed. She let her fingers rest on the tattered paper. It had been folded and unfolded so many times since she got it that it now threatened to fall apart at the slightest touch.  
  
Jimmy was gone. Her last living connection to her past had died peacefully in his sleep, a touch of pneumonia that wouldn't have killed him if he hadn't been a chain-smoking fool. Faye removed her hand from the paper and lit a cigarette in memory of him. The message had told her that Jimmy wanted her to have half of the Hotel Romani, he wanted her to feel normal and whole again. He wanted her to embrace her past, something that she had been shying away from. She wrote back and told Jimmy's son Nathan that she would think about it. She knew she would never be able to take the offer. Faye Harper was dead.  
  
In the message from Nathan, he said that she was always welcome there, and always welcome in the Calloway family. She had chuckled at this part. Didn't they realize that Faye Valentine had no place with anyone? That she was a Romani, destined to roam forever. Faye rolled her eyes at herself, and let out a large puff of smoke to the ceiling of the bar. She was so full of shit. She had a place to go- she was just too much of a chicken-shit to go back to it.  
  
Faye glanced at her ragged fingernails, broken and bit to hell. She grimaced and decided before she left tomorrow she was going to get a manicure. This was something she said every time she left a place. She always thought of the pampering that she deserved, and complained in the mirror about how she never got it. She of course never went to get the manicure. And she of course still always complained about it later.  
  
She missed working with partners, she missed working with Spike and Jet. Back then she could sit and do her nails all day long, and then not have to worry about breaking them when things got rough. Spike would always jump in and kill everything before she ever had a chance to help. She also missed complaining to them. Those guys would tell her to suck it up and get off her ass. The mirror never did that. Back up was a wonderful thing sometimes. The sick-twisted little family they had going wasn't really so bad. And she missed it. She missed being normal. Well, as normal as they could get on that damn ship.  
  
Faye began to slide off the barstool, ready to make her break for the freedom of the Romani life, when her ears picked up a part of the table full of old guys' conversation. Her eyes turned to the peer at the table, where the skinny bartender was putting down fresh drinks.  
  
"Yep, some kid ripped off Frankie Tang the other night." An old man with a pipe said as he eyed the young bartender. "Some crazy orange-haired kid with a dog, or something like that. Took out three of his bodyguards. People say she stole his part to the key."  
  
Faye's knees nearly gave out as her eyes opened wider. Orange-haired kid with a dog? She shook her head. Nah. She started to make for the door after throwing some cash on the bar.  
  
"You know what that's said to be a key to?" One of the other old men asked the bartender, who shook his head and laughed. He knew, he just loved hearing the old men talk about it. "Treasure." The man said his eyes growing wider behind his large thick glasses. "Riches beyond anyone's wildest dreams."  
  
Faye stopped mid-step and half turned her head towards the table.  
  
"It's the key to the ship of gold." The man with the pipe said in a hushed voice.  
  
Faye turned on her heel and started an easy excited walk towards the table. All the men watched her come over, a wide grin snaking its way on to her face. She pulled out a chair from another table and sat on the outskirts of the group, crossing her legs and leaning towards the men.  
  
"Excuse me," she said in a voice that Spike and Jet would have recognized in an instant meant trouble of some kind was not far off. "Did one of you gentlemen say 'ship of gold'?" The men all just stared at her as she sat there smiling at them.  
  
Faye may have been a legit bounty hunter now, with a damn good track record for bringing in the bad guys, but that didn't change who she was deep down inside. A money hungry, adventure seeker with not enough common sense to make her stay away from danger. Shoot first, sort it out later.  
  
And if she was right, she knew exactly which crazy orange-haired kid with a dog they were talking about. Looks like fate was telling her where her next resting stop would be. Ah, the life of the Romani.  
  
***** Jet smacked his hands together and smiled widely at the little tree sitting in front of him. He'd been so busy lately, that he hadn't been able to just sit and relax for almost a month. A month of neglect had done horrible things to his little trees, but he was soon to remedy that. Jet picked up his small scissors, and prepared to make a cut.  
  
Ed had been keeping them moving like crazy lately. It was like she was on a bounty-hunting kick. She was finding incredible bounties though, big winners, with a great pay off. Jet had a small tickle on the back of his neck that kept telling him something wasn't right with the kid. A small tickle that had developed into an itch as of late. But he ignored it. They were making cash, and they were doing it pretty easily. If the itch turned into a rash he would do something about it.  
  
He made a small snip on the tree and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Life was good. Simple and good. He moved in to make another snip, his eyes half closed in a daze of euphoria. Just then alarms started going off all around the ship, and he took an entire branch off of the small tree. He watched it fall to the table and stared at it, his mouth agape.  
  
He ran out of the small room and to the bridge where he had left Ed. As he ran he mumbled about killing the kid, and the dog. Because he knew the dog had a part in whatever was going on too.  
  
In the hangar bay, Spike sat with his hands between his knees, staring at his ship from behind the glass of the adjoining room. He lit a cigarette and continued to stare at the Swordfish II, and it's damn engine problems. He'd spent nearly two hours working on it. And by working on it that meant he had kicked pretty much every part of the ship that was worth kicking, and then some. He had finally decided to sit back and just stare at it in hopes that the thing would psychically tell him what exactly was wrong, and then he could have Jet fix it. He had the feeling he was just about to make a psychic breakthrough with the ship when the proximity alert went off.  
  
His head perked up and he moved his hand towards his boot where his back up gun was nestled. No one was due in for a visit. His fingers froze at the hem of his blue pants, when his eyes locked on the ship that was pulling in.  
  
The Redtail landed gracefully beside his Swordfish, and Spike slowly unbent his body. He didn't need his gun, he needed a pinch in the arm, or some other kind of rude wake up call. Then he remembered just who was landing, and decided that was a rude enough wake up call for anyone. He watched as the engines turned off, and he waited for the pilot to make her entrance. He'd been waiting for this for a while, he figured. It had to happen sooner or later.  
  
The cockpit opened and he saw the familiar purple hair, cut short and barely touching her shoulders, minus the headband from previous years. The green eyes were the same, and in them there was a hint of something. Fear? Spike shook his head, he was a bit rusty at reading his old partner.  
  
Faye pushed herself over the edge of her ship and landed on the hangar bay floor. She raised her eyes to the ship and gave it a smile as she ran a hand through her hair. Suddenly, her eyes shot to Spike, as if she were able to feel his stare on her skin. He was leaning casually on the wall of the adjoining room, smoking a cigarette, just as he always would. He wore that same damn suit, the yellow shirt, the tie, the damn blue pants that were now fading. He smirked at her.  
  
She looked good, tired, but good. Not dead, so definitely good. Spike remained leaning against the wall taking in the 'new Faye'. She no longer wore the yellow outfit. In its place where the black pants he'd seen her wear a couple of times during their last adventure, when he picked her up on Halo. Her feet were covered by the black athletic shoes she had acquired after tossing the old heels into space. The top was a bit more like the Faye he was used to. A tight red tank top that showed her mid- drift and accentuated all the other 'aspects' of Faye. In place around her arms and waist was a black sweater, fading out a bit, that looked remarkably like the red one she used to sport. He knew the reason for the sweater, it wasn't there for warmth really, it was there to hide the guns at her hips.  
  
Faye ran her fingers over the fabric of her sweater. Which was in actuality, her red sweater that she had dyed black after it was ruined with blood a year and a half ago during the Gate Corporation incident. The dye was fading out, and if you looked closely you could see a bit of the red peaking through at the seams. She didn't care much that it was fading, she was just glad the blood stains had been covered. Her fingers ran over her guns, a comforting gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Spike. She was definitely nervous, and definitely afraid.  
  
"Well, well." Spike said breaking the silence. "Look who's back."  
  
Faye let a smile come to her face, snake its way there, as she removed the cigarette she had been smoking from her mouth. She held the cigarette between her fingers and continued smiling at her former partner. She had absolutely no idea what to say to him. Her smile faltered for a second at this realization, but soon it was back. She didn't want to talk to him anyway. Keep on target.  
  
"I don't have time for you right now, Lunkhead." She tossed her cigarette in the general direction of the Swordfish II, as per her usual actions towards his ship, and started to walk right past him and out of the hangar bay.  
  
He grabbed her arm as she went, causing her to turn and face him. To make eye contact with him. He was no longer the casual, smiling Spike that he had been when leaning on the wall only moments ago. There was something else in his eyes now, Faye noticed it but couldn't quite place it. Worry? Anger? A bit of both? She shook her head, she was a bit rusty at this.  
  
"That's it? You're gone for a over a year, come back out of the blue, and don't think that I deserve a little bit of an explanation?" Spike's voice was calm as ever, but Faye knew he was a bit angered. She could see it in his eyes. Something else clicked in her mind. The fact that he didn't know why she had come back, didn't realize that she would come back for a treasure hunt like this, caused a big alarm to go off in her mind. Spike and Jet didn't know about Ed's little adventure with Frankie Tang. She smiled.  
  
"Where's Ed?" She said wiggling her arm so that Spike would release. He finally did and just stared at her confused.  
  
"On the bridge with Jet, no doubt. She had been driving. And I'm guessing it was her who let you in." Spike took a drag off of his cigarette, and watched as Faye gave him a quick glee-filled nod. He saw her eyes dart away from his, saw the way her body moved just a bit away from his. He realized then that she didn't really want to be here. "Are you in trouble again?"  
  
"No." She snapped. "Stupid, lunkhead. You think I'd come running back here and bringing more problems on you."  
  
"Absolutely." Spike said crossing his arms in front of his chest, a smirk playing on his lips.  
  
"I don't believe it." She threw her arms in the air. "After everything that happened last time, you still think that way of me." She turned her back on him, her arms continuing to fly in the air. "I don't have time for you. I need to talk to Ed. If you want to know what's going on you can follow me." She was yelling as she walked away, and Spike was chuckling at her retreating form.  
  
He spared one look back at his ship, and gave it a smile. The ship would have to wait. Faye's return had piqued an interest. He turned to exit the hangar bay, and started down the hall.  
  
"Come on, slow-poke." Faye yelled from the entrance way to the common room. He rolled his eyes and butted his cigarette out on the wall. Maybe a bit of release from the normalcy that his life had taken on as of late was in order. And he knew that he would get that release now. If he wanted it or not.  
  
Faye didn't wait long for Spike to catch up, instead she just left him to butt his cigarette out on the wall, and sulkily follow. She took a deep breath as she crossed the threshold of the common room, taking in the musty smell along with a bit of courage that she needed. She stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Jet dragging Ed away from the ladder up to the bridge. He was mumbling under his breath and kicking at Ein who snapped at his feet.  
  
Jet not looking up from his kick-fest of the dog. (Well, he couldn't really bring himself to actually kick the dog, but he was threateningly moving his large foot in front of the barking dog's face.) "Spike, what the hell did she let into the ship?" Jet grumbled.  
  
"Well, it really wasn't a what." Spike replied from over Faye's shoulder. Faye jumped a bit, then scowled and slapped him hard in the chest. "Actually, strike that. I'm not sure what 'it' is. I don't think I ever will be."  
  
"What the hell are you......" Jet looked up, his eyes narrowed in confusion. As soon as his eyes hit on Faye, they widened with shock. Faye's eyes however where on the newly released Edward, who stood smiling widely at Faye from under her white cowboy hat.  
  
"Edward," Faye said taking a step forward. "What have you been up to, you little monkey?"  
  
"Faye." Jet said still obviously confused by exactly what was going on. This sort of thing always seemed to happen once they were all on the ship together. The three free-loaders would have something going on together, while he was left completely in the dark of the situation. Well, that just wasn't happening this time. "Faye, why are you here? Are you in trouble?"  
  
"Damn it." Faye yelled. "What do you people take me for?" She threw her hands up in the air and rolled her eyes. "NO. I am not in trouble. For once, no one is after me. I think the better question to ask here is what has our little hacker been up to?" Faye's eyes went back to the still widely smiling teenager. Ed took off the cowboy hat and held it in front of her wide smile, staring at Faye over the rim.  
  
Spike and Jet exchanged confused glances, and watched as Faye strolled into the common room and leaned up against the railing to the stairwell. Faye's eyes remained on Ed, who was now practically dancing with excitement.  
  
"Faye-Faye came back." Ed mumbled into the hat and then looked at Ein. Things were going according to plan.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Spike and Jet asked at almost the same time. Spike stood beside Faye staring at Edward with narrowed eyes.  
  
"Why don't you ask the midget?" Faye snapped at Spike. Ed started shaking her head wildly as if she didn't want to tell. Or wouldn't tell. Spike was now staring at Faye. "Oh come on Edward. Tell them about your little trip to Frankie Tang's. Tell them what you stole."  
  
"Stole?" Spike said snapping his attention back to Edward who was now clutching the precious hat.  
  
"Frankie Tang?" Jet said, snapping his eyes to Edward as well. Jet was just about to grab Ed by the collar of her shirt and shake some answers out of her, when Faye spoke up again.  
  
"You two are pathetic." She said putting her hands behind her head. Her eyes went to Jet as the smile on her face grew. "Weren't you a detective once?" Jet turned the direction of his hands towards Faye. Perhaps he could strangle her from here. Soon he gave it up and returned to Edward. The itch had turned to a rash and he'd ignored it. Spike let out a bit of a snort at Jet's reaction, and Faye turned her smiling eyes to him. "And you. I don't even want to get started on you, Mr. I can see through my eye lids."  
  
Spike narrowed his eyes at Faye. The wench had a good memory.  
  
"Shut up, Faye." Spike said, tearing his hate filled gaze from the smiling woman. He wasn't quite so sure he actually missed her anymore. He was beginning to think it was a fluke.  
  
"Fine." Faye said glaring at Spike. She then turned her eyes to the now dancing Edward. Her eyes roamed for a second off of the slim figure, and darted about the common room. It was exactly the same, as if no time had passed since her departure so long ago. The couches were in the same positions as usual. The large window, showing the passing of stars as they moved through space, was still covered in a thick layer of dirt that distorted the images unless you were right up close to it.  
  
The most amazing thing was that the people were all the same too. Jet still had his bald head and beard, not to mention that seemingly unapproachable air that made him so fun to work with. Spike still had his damn suit, and his damn attitude. And Ed still had her insanity. It was as if no time had passed. As if nothing had happened to change them. Faye's eyes worked back to Edward, taller and older, and she knew that things had happened. Changes had happened, changes that would no doubt have ramifications the longer she stayed. Her eyes darted quickly back over her shoulder to the door. She could still make a break for it, pretend like she had never come back.  
  
Ed's fingers tightened on the cowboy hat, as she watched Faye's eyes dart about the room. Her smile was wider than it had been in months, and that was all due to her plan actually beginning to come together.  
  
"Ed," Jet's voice, calm now, broke Ed and Faye's thoughts. "What the hell is she talking about?"  
  
"Ed's treasure hunt." Ed said lowering the hat, and holding it in front of her chest now. "Faye-Faye came back for the treasure hunt. Ed knew she would. Ed wanted it to be a surprise."  
  
Faye's eyes widened a bit, and then narrowed. "The kid knows you." Spike said from beside her. "What exactly brought you back?" Spike asked. He was curious, seeing as he'd been trying to figure a way out for.......he shook his head and stopped that train of thought.  
  
"I heard about the kid stealing from Frankie Tang and wanted to check and......"Faye stopped upon noticing the unbelieving stares that she was getting from Jet, Spike and Ed. She threw her hands up in the air and let out a gruff breath. "Find. I heard about the exploits of one 'crazy orange-haired kid and her dog', and the words 'ship of gold', and decided that maybe it was time to make a visit. I didn't really have any thing else to do." She shrugged and stared down at her feet.  
  
"You'll never change." Spike chuckled, and Faye looked up at him smiling.  
  
"You missed me. Admit it." She said.  
  
"Not even if you put a gun to my head, my dear." Spike retorted, lighting up a cigarette.  
  
"Don't give me any ideas." Faye said stealing the cigarette.  
  
"Enough, idiots." Jet said. For a second, the three older bounty hunters exchanged glances, small smiles gracing each face. It was strange how easy it was to slip back into a routine. The moment passed quickly. Faye's eyes darting back to the door and then landing on her feet again. Spike's stare rolling up to the ceiling as he lit another cigarette, and then landing on the table. Jet shook his head and ran a hand over his bald head. "Ed? What exactly is going on? And no more of this riddle shit. You tell me now."  
  
Ed stared up at Jet, her fingers clenching a bit on the hat but soon releasing. The hat fell to the table, and Ed smiled and put her hands out wide.  
  
"Ed and the Bebop crew," She looked over at Faye, who had lifted her eyes from the ground now. "The WHOLE Bebop crew. Are going to find the ship of GOOOOOOLD." Ed's voice lingered in the room, as the three older members exchanged glances again. "Ed has two parts to the key to the ECHO. And we're on our way to number threeeeeee!" Ed put three fingers up in the air and began dancing around the common room.  
  
Faye, Jet and Spike exchanged glances once again. Interest was building where apprehension should have stayed. 


	3. The Ship of Gold

Cursed Chapter 3: The Ship of Gold  
  
Thirty years ago, a ship was created that was faster than any that had come before. A ship of dreams and wonders the likes of which has never been seen again. There were many stories that went along with its creation, but it was the ship's disappearance that became the legend. These rumors were the ones that over the years became the bed-time stories for every child, and the fuel in the minds of practically every crew of a ship in the entire galaxy. That ship was the ECHO.  
  
Jet remembered fondly the first time he had ever been told the tale. Hell, he even remembered watching the fabled ship's maiden voyage-it's only voyage. But like everything that ever became a legend, the mundane reality of the situation soon gave way to the fantastical language of myth. And with a legend like The Ship of Gold, reality takes an early backseat.  
  
Jet was eleven when Harrison Industries announced the creation of the ECHO. The ECHO was a luxury liner to beat all luxury liners, built from a gold alloy. It was said that the entire body of the ship was probably worth more money than Ganymede itself. The press had dubbed her The Ship of Gold the day of the launch, and now that was all anyone remembered. Jet had been hanging near the docks with a couple of friends (the names of which old age has erased forever), watching the skies above and the television screen behind as the ship left its lunar dock.  
  
"Everything had gone as planned," Tommy, the elder brother of one of Jet's friends had said a year later at that same dock. Jet always felt it strange the way he could remember the brother's name and forget one of his closest friend's; but that was the way legends went. When it came down to it, all you could really remember were the important details, and the key players. And in the story of the ECHO, Tommy What's-His-Name, was a key player. Well, at least for Jet.  
  
"Everything had gone as planned. The ride was smooth sailing out of the dock and into the atmosphere. There were no bumps, no shocks as it departed, just a bunch of very happy crew members." Tommy said as he sat back in his padded chair on the deck. Jet sat on the wet wood at his feet with two of his friends, listening intently as Tommy told the tale. "But then something went wrong. No one knows exactly what it was, and no one ever will. The Ship of Gold vanished as it entered the Southern Gate. Some people believe it was sabotage. While other's think that the engine that was specially created; the engine that was by far the fastest in the galaxy, self destructed upon entering the Gate. But no debris was ever found." At this all of the boys would lean in closer, hands placed under their chins, as Tommy relished in his story telling fame. "All anyone knows is the ECHO vanished completely. No trace of her has been found yet. No communication has been transmitted or received, and no sign of her has been seen anywhere in the known galaxy. The greatest treasure in the world, hell the entire system, is lost boys. And it's lost for good."  
  
Now, when Jet was eleven that statement had made his eyes go wide, and his mind yearned for space exploration. Over the years Jet had heard that story again and again, from different sources with different explanations and rumors. The stories usually gained momentum during the anniversary of its disappearance, and at that time ISSP was really on their toes. It was at that time when most men and women with any kind of ship capable of space travel would hit the road so-to-speak, on a search for The Ship of Gold. Of course, no one ever found anything, but new stories would come to light. Stories of the ECHO as a ghost ship, sighted but never boarded for fear of the restless souls of the ship's crew wreaking havoc.  
  
At forty-one, Jet no longer yearned for space exploration when he heard the stories of the ECHO. Instead he longed for a bat so that he could smack some sense into the idiots who looked for it.  
  
Sitting at the small table of the Port 9 Bar and Grill on Ganymede, a bar close to the dock that Jet first heard that story, Jet wondered if he cold find someone to hit him and his crew with a bat a couple of times. Just a few quick whacks to get them back to reality.  
  
He sat back in his small chair at an outside table now, and folded his hands over his chest as he waited. He called Vic Healy as soon as they settled down at port, and he told the "children" to stay put until he called. Jet stared at the white cowboy hat on the table. As soon as Vic got there all this mystery and adventure would be done.  
  
But as he stared at that hat he couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement. A search for The Ship of Gold would make for one hell of a last ride.  
  
Spike stood at the window in the Bebop common room blowing smoke on to the already dirty surface before him. It was a shitty day on Ganymede, something he had grown accustomed to on their many stops there. The sky always seemed to be dark, and rain always seemed to threaten but never fall. Strangely, it reminded him a lot of Mars.

* * *

Thirty years ago The Ship of Gold disappeared, and on that same day all those years ago Spike Spiegel was born. It was an odd coincidence, at least everyone at the orphanage used to think so. The first time he ever heard the story was at his fifth birthday celebration. The tale had been filled with explosions and pirates, and the best part the gold and riches that were supposedly hidden on the ship. It was a story that made every kid an adventure seeker, and Spike was not immune to its charms. The very next day Spike and his best friend Charlie Wallace began the greatest and longest treasure hunt of their lives. The hunt for The Ship of Gold, the greatest treasure in the galaxy would consume them for their entire friendship, and it would seem far beyond that as well.  
  
"So what do you think about all of this?" Faye's voice broke Spike's thoughts as she entered the room. He turned quickly, startled a bit by her presence. Over the past year and a half he had grown used to his quiet- time, and now that Faye was back it looked like that wonderful quiet-time was gone for good. "Hello? Earth to lunkhead. Did you hear me?"  
  
"I heard you," Spike said back as he eyed her. Faye plopped herself down onto the well-worn yellow sofa and lifted her feet up onto the table. Spike raised a brow at her as she began to study her nails. Her movements were obviously rehearsed, and she was obviously still scared of something. "Why are you here, Faye?"  
  
"Do the words 'Ship of Gold' ring any bells," Faye said simply as she lifted her arms into the air for emphasis. She let them lazily fall over the back of the sofa as she smiled over at Spike. She then rested her head on the cushions and stared up at the ceiling fan, as she let herself try to get used to being back. Maybe she should have just stayed in her room.  
  
"Don't give me that. You know better than anyone that the worst kinds of troubles are money-troubles. You really want to go seek out some treasure that may be more trouble than it's worth?" Spike asked calmly as he took a long drag of his cigarette. He took a couple of steps forward but stopped when he saw a smile snake its way onto Faye's face.  
  
"Everything in life is more trouble than it's worth, Spike. That's half the fun of being alive." Faye locked gazes with him as she smirked. It was so natural to bicker with Spike that it instantly settled her nerves. She smiled a bit wider. There was something strange and sadistic about their relationship, but it if worked why worry about it. "Why are you going after it?"  
  
"I'm not," Spike said simply, taking another drag and smiling at the ceiling. "I'm just here for the ride."  
  
Don't try to pull that shit with me, Spike." Faye said chuckling. "I saw the way your eyes lit up, there was definitely some kind of interest built inside that pea-brain of yours. I may have been gone for a while, but reading you is still pretty easy." She locked gazes with Spike for what seemed like hours until finally she broke the look and laid her head back on the sofa. "You don't want to tell me?" She peered over at Spike, who said nothing and merely raised a brow at her. "Fine then don't expect me to give away my reasons."  
  
"Your reasons are pretty out there, Faye. A person who has spent two minutes with you knows what you want out of life." Spike smirked at Faye's infuriated expression.  
  
"You really are a lunkhead, you know that?" Faye sat up in the seat and stared at Spike. "You don't believe that for a second, or you wouldn't have asked in the first place. Look, we all have something going in this, and we all have different reasons, even Jet. Which is pretty impressive considering he's usually yelling at us for stuff like this. So let's just drop it."  
  
"Fine," Spike said turning his back on the annoying wench on the sofa. He turned his attention back to the window, where much to his dismay he found he could still see Faye reflected. He rolled his eyes and took a slow drag from his cigarette before butting it out next to her reflection. He finally came to the realization that now that Faye was back, he would never get rid of her. He smirked at the window and watched as the reflected Faye fiddled with something in her pocket.

* * *

"You're going after what?" Vic Healy said as he adjusted his bifocals and stared at the grim face of Jet Black across the table from him. Vic put a hand to his head, and tried to tame the two puffs of white hair that spurted from either side. The cigar hanging from his mouth sent a wave of smoke steadily into the air above his head, and watching that smoke Jet longed for a cigarette.  
  
"You heard me." Jet said patting down his pockets for his smokes. "And I didn't say we were going after it, I just said that had come across some interesting things and were looking into it." Jet barked as he finally found his cigarettes and lit one up.  
  
"You're going after it," Vic said nodding his head and sitting back in his seat. "You don't just look into things, Black. It's not the ISSP way."  
  
"I'm not ISSP anymore." Jet said smiling at his old friend.  
  
"You, my friend, will be a cop until the day you die. Look at what profession you chose as retirement." Vic grabbed his beer and let out a loud bark of a laugh before taking a large swig. "What do you need from me Black Dog that you can't do by yourself?"  
  
Jet slid the white cowboy hat across the table to Vic. "In the loose lining you'll find two components to some kind of computer equipment. I need to know what they are."  
  
"In the lining of the hat?" Vic put a hand to the brim of the hat and lifted it onto his lap. "What is this Jet, some kind of a joke? This isn't some kind of set up right? I've been too good to the ISSP for them to come down on me like this."  
  
"It's no joke, Vic. Just look at the pieces and tell me what you think." Jet leaned forward. "Just pull back the lining, don't remove them from it. Not until we get to your shop."  
  
Vic pulled back the lining slowly and narrowed his eyes at the two small pieces of metal. "They're computer chips," he said instantly. "Is this for real?"  
  
"Let's go to your shop." Jet said putting some cash down on the table and getting up. "I don't want to attract too much attention to this."  
  
"No, certainly not," Vic said. He pushed a small button on the side of his glasses and zoomed in on the small chips held in the lining. "But I've got to warn you Jet, if you got these where I think you did, you've already got some attention that you really don't want."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Jet said leaning over the table and giving the surrounding patrons a quick glance.  
  
"Frankie Tang." Vic said in a hushed voice. "I heard about the robbery from his place on Haley Nine. Everyone knows he's a big believer in the ECHO legend, and he's put a lot of money into finding it. You got these from him right?"  
  
"Look Vic---"  
  
"You're right, I probably don't want to know." Vic said waving his hands in the air. He looked down at the chips again. "I can tell you this right off the bat; these things are made of something I've never seen before. I think the Black Dog may have finally sunk his teeth into something worth while. I just hope you haven't bit off more than you can chew with Frankie Tang."  
  
"Let me deal with that." Jet said firmly. Jet clenched his fists together a bit. When he got back to the Bebop he was chaining Ed to the ship, and never letting her leave again.  
  
"So, do I get a cut?" Vic asked as he stood up, cowboy hat in hand.  
  
"If we find anything, you get the usual." Jet said smirking.  
  
"Wow, 100 Woolongs and another two years ISSP free. Gee, you sure are generous, Black." Vic said chuckling as he moved into step with Jet as they left the dock.  
  
"I get that a lot." Jet said putting a hand on the old man's shoulder.

* * *

Faye had only heard the mysterious tale of the ECHO once before Ed told it just a few hours ago. It had been almost a year ago exactly, and she had been visiting Jimmy Calloway at the Romani. It was one of those memories that would haunt you; that was the last time she had seen him alive.  
  
Jimmy sat in a large chair by the fire place, a cigarette in his mouth and lighter in his hand, as his family sat about him. Faye stood in a corner of the room, staring out the large window of the penthouse apartment that was his home, watching as the rain fell in buckets from the Martian sky.  
  
He told the story beautifully, and Faye couldn't help but smile as his young grandchildren gasped at all the right parts. Jimmy was a great story teller, had been since they were children, and the story of The Ship of Gold seemed to be one of his favorites to tell. He'd been alive for it, so of course his telling of it was taken as fact by the children. Faye had been asleep for it, so of course her hearing it left her with nothing but doubt as to the validity of her old friend's facts. But being the Faye that she was she couldn't help but listen a bit harder to the details surrounding all the money that was said to be still on board.  
  
Back in the common room of the Bebop, Faye fiddled with the telegram she still had in her pocket as she thought about this strange turn of events. She pulled the small worn piece of paper from her pocket and turned it around in her fingers.  
  
"A real treasure ship? Could that story really be true?" Faye mumbled to herself.  
  
"You say something?" Spike's voice broke into her head.  
  
Faye's eyes went wide and she snapped her gaze to where Spike stood at the window. Had she really said that out loud? Over a year and a half on her own, she had gotten used to talking to herself. She closed her eyes tight and mentally slapped herself for forgetting that the lunkhead was still in the room; for forgetting that she was back on the Bebop.  
  
Spike watched as Faye's hands clenched around the small piece of paper she had been fiddling with earlier. With Jet gone to do whatever the hell he had gone to do, Spike had no other choice than to talk with Faye. He moved forward and plopped himself down in the chair across the table from her. Maybe he could get to the bottom of what was freaking her out, and most likely he could have a little bit of fun when he did.  
  
"What's that?" Spike pointed to her hand and watched her gaze flick down to the paper.  
  
She remained silent for a while before finally looking back up at Spike. He deserved to know. He'd known Jimmy, not well, but he met him.  
  
"It's a telegram." Faye said slowly holding the paper up for him to see. Spike read the name Calloway on the bottom but nothing else, and he sat back in his chair smiling.  
  
"This I can see, Faye. I can also see that it's from Calloway. So how is the old man?" Spike said slowly. He watched as her eyes fell to the table in front of her, and her hand clenched around the telegram. "Faye?"  
  
"Jimmy's dead." She said slowly, as she fought to stay in control. "He died about a month ago now."  
  
Spike sat up in his chair, staring at Faye's lowered head. He sat forward and let his arms rest on his knees as he too stared at the floor. He didn't know what to say. All he knew was that nothing would help.  
  
"He was a good man. If you don't mind, how did he---?"  
  
"Pneumonia," Faye said simply and looked up at him smiling. "A good simple death."  
  
"We could only be so lucky." Spike said nodding his head in understanding. He remembered hearing Faye once tell him that she always worried about her tainting the people from her past with the way she was now. That was long before she regained her memory, but Spike was sure that the sentiment was still there. For her, knowing that Calloway died a peaceful death, untouched by the harsh life that she now led, was probably the most comforting thing in the world. "I'm sorry, Faye."  
  
"Yeah, I am too." Faye said slowly. "It's strange, Spike. There are so many people in the world that deserve the second chance that I was given so much more; the chance at a longer life. Jimmy deserved too live a longer life, much longer than me. But here I am."  
  
"Calloway lived a complete and happy life. Don't pity him for his death; it lessens the value of his life." Spike said simply. "And never be sorry that you're alive, Faye. I learned that the hard way."  
  
"I remember." Faye said looking up at Spike. She smiled at him and as they locked gazes she also remembered why it had been so awkward when they would run into each other. He kept her gaze for a while longer, and she felt like he was trying to read her mind. When she realized that he probably could, she broke the eye contact and turned her attention back to the telegram in her hand.  
  
"You know Jimmy offered me part of the Hotel." Faye said off-handedly as she placed the telegram back into the pocket of her black pants.  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Spike said leaning back in his chair smiling. That's right, Faye, change the subject and move on from the awkward moments, he thought. "What did you say?"  
  
"I told him I wasn't the Hotel-running kind of girl." She said smiling. "You know me. If it doesn't have a casino in it, it really isn't worth my time."  
  
"I'm surprised you haven't renovated the Blue Port into a casino yet," Spike said chuckling.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Faye said, just as an incoming transmission beeped on the computer.  
  
Spike quickly moved to answer the call, realizing that he had made a bit of a mistake in his conversation. Apparently Faye didn't know that Jet kept the Blue Port for her. Oops. Spike pressed the accept transmission button and was greeted with Jet's stern face. He smiled widely and watched as Faye moved to stand behind him to see the screen.  
  
"So having fun on your little outing?" Spike said grimacing as Faye pushed his head out of the way a little so she could see Jet.  
  
"Did you find anything out?" Faye asked quickly. "Are those really pieces to the ECHO?"  
  
"Don't get to excited, there's no way to tell that for sure." Jet said gruffly. Faye let out a disgruntled sigh and Spike followed with one of a lesser magnitude. "However, my guy here tells me that the chips are made of a gold alloy, and that the technology matches the specks that were used for the creation of the ECHO."  
  
"So that means that---"Faye began excitedly.  
  
"That means that it's a possibility, nothing more." Jet said firmly. "Vic says that these two are main computer chips to some kind of locking mechanism, or perhaps an unlocking mechanism."  
  
"You mean those are parts to a key or something?" Spike asked raising a brow at Jet.  
  
"Maybe, not really sure." Jet responded. "The fact that one piece came from Frankie Tang is a good sign that it actually has something to do with the ECHO. Tang is known for his mad quest for the ship, so the fact that this was so heavily guarded is something to keep in mind."  
  
"Especially considering that Tang probably isn't too pleased that it's gone." Spike said.  
  
"Exactly," Jet said nodding. "I'm going to finish up here, and then I'll be back. You three stay put and we'll figure out what to do next when I get back."  
  
"Right," Spike said nodding.  
  
"Hey, Jet," Faye leaned over Spike's shoulder so her face was fully visible in Jet's comm. Unit. "You're guy said those things were made of gold right?"  
  
"A gold alloy, just like the body of the ECHO," Jet said raising a brow. When he saw the smirk snake its way onto her face, and the twinkle in her emerald eyes, he knew what the next comment would be.  
  
"So even if they aren't part of the ship, we could sell them." Faye smiled as she moved back away from the screen a bit. "I'll be we could rake in the dough. Especially if we could convince people they were from the ECHO. Why I'll be we could even ransom Frankie Tang's piece back---"  
  
"Enough," Jet barked. "You three just stay put until I get back. Then we'll go over what to do with these things."  
  
"Yes, sir," Spike said chuckling as he pushed Faye away from his shoulder and leaned forward to turn off the transmission. He smiled as he looked over his shoulder at Faye, who was now straight-faced, and looking a bit worried. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Spike," Faye began, letting her eyes travel the length of the common room before meeting his gaze. "Where's Ed?"

* * *

OKAY people, that's all she wrote. At least for now. Sorry about the long, long time between updates. My computer crashed a while ago, and then I had to move. But I'm up and running now, and I'll try desperately to keep the updates coming. I forgot how much fun it is to write these things. Read and review, and have fun! 


	4. Comrades and Casualties

Cursed

Chapter 4: Comrades and Casualties  
  
So this is how it begins. Not with a bang or a flashy entrance theme, but with the quiet slap of bare feet on a wet dock.  
  
Edward had never been one to follow orders, nor had she been one to see the danger of a situation, instead she had always done impulsive and usually stupid things. Tonight, she continued on her trend of oddball choices, and did it with a sense of total glee. There was something very freeing about doing things this way; about not really considering all the repercussions of a decision. This was actually something Ed had learned from the crew of the Bebop. She learned quickly from the people on that ship, that even if you planned every move there was always something waiting to surprise you in the end. And those surprises weren't always fun, in fact most times those surprises got you killed or damn near close to it.  
  
But that was life, and life was an adventure to be enjoyed at every turn, which is why Ed now found herself skipping down the wet docks on Ganymede against the strict orders of all three of her comrades on the Bebop.  
  
"Hee hee," Ed chanted as she continued her dance like steps down the deserted dock. She then gave a big smile to Ein and did a quick one-handed cartwheel, making sure to keep a tight grip on Tomato. "All Ed needs is a good place to connect Ein, so keep your eyes open."  
  
Beside her Ein rolled his eyes, and continued down the docks. The dog was a genius; the dog was smarter than any of the members of the Bebop crew, yet here he was following the barefoot hacker lunatic. Sometimes you choose your friends, and sometimes they choose you, and then sometimes you are just a dog with an inexplicable attraction to adventure and the need for a safe place to live. Ein let his eyes wander over the darkened docks, his paws slipping slightly on the wet wood below him. He once again looked up at Ed who looked utterly pleased and completely oblivious to the danger they had placed themselves in. The girl was smarter than any other human he had met; this was something he was positive of. Hell, she didn't go out on to the docks alone now did she? No, she took the genius dog along with her, and that was a pretty smart thing to do. Ein just hoped she wouldn't throw him at anyone tonight.  
  
"Ooooo, Ein look over here," Ed said in her most awe-inspired voice. "I think we hit the jackpot." Ed skipped quickly over to the darkened corner of the dock where an abandoned phone booth stood. The glass was broken in all of the windows, and the vid-screen along with all of the buttons was smashed to oblivion. But as Ed stuck her head into the dirt and grime covered booth she smiled widely. The port connecting the booth to the Internet and the communications satellites was still in perfect condition. Edward padded her bare feet into the booth and sat down on the dirty ground, placing Tomato on top of her crossed legs. "This is perfect Ein. Now you keep an eye out for danger, while Ed works her magic." Ed plugged Tomato into the outlet, and put her goggles over her eyes. She positioned her fingers above the keyboard and as a bright yellow light flashed in front of her eyes, she set her fingers a flying over the plastic keys.

* * *

Vic Healy hunched his shoulders and rubbed at the back of his neck, as he stood at the cracked glass windowpane of his door. For the past 66 years he had lived in a shack of a house that had more wear and tear than one of the old whorehouses in downtown. For the past 49 years he had done odd jobs for both sides of the great battle between cops and robbers, and through it all he felt he lived a relatively good life. He'd never done anything too bad; he'd never killed anyone, which is more than most people that played both sides could say. And now as Vic Healy watched the headlights of three cars swerve in the darkness and finally extinguish in the small parking lot outside of his small shop, he wondered if his relatively good life would be enough to sneak him past old Saint Peter.  
  
Vic slowly moved away from his door and backed towards the counter behind him. He reached a long varicose veined arm over the cluttered wooden counter and placed his hand on the gun that he always regretted buying. For the past 33 years he had been the sole proprietor of a small gadget shop on the North Shore docks of Ganymede. Ten years after his wonderful grand opening, a young beat cop named Black had walked into his shop a slick smile on his clean-shaven face. It was strange that even then Jet Black had been a good cop, even though the kid had only been with ISSP for about four months he had pegged the ever-elusive Video Vic. Their friendship had started with a deal; a deal that ended up saving Vic's life time and again over the years. Jet Black had saved his life once, taken a bullet for him.  
  
Vic raised the dusty gun from behind the counter, his eyes focused intently on the three dark figures standing outside his door. His old hand clenched on the gun as he held it behind his back. Sweat formed on his upper lip and forehead, as the knock rattled the glass of his door.  
  
"I'm closed," Vic yelled back at the door. His voice was a gravely and harsh, no shred of fear or discomfort to be found. He smiled at himself as a bead of sweat traveled down from his puffy white hairline to the tip of his nose. After so many years of playing both sides he had become one hell of an actor.  
  
"This won't take long," A deep voice came back as the handle from the door turned. The door slowly opened, allowing light from the near-by street lamps to filter in over the dirty wooden floor. Vic's eyes widened as he saw who stood at his door. The man grinned, and Vic's hand tightened around the gun behind his back. "I promise, Mr. Healy, this won't take up much of your time at all. I only need information."  
  
"Mr. Tang," Vic said as the man stepped further into the small shop. The two men with Frankie Tang stepped slowly into the shop and shut the door. The click of the door rang in Vic's ears like a bell. Vic smiled at Frankie Tang who stood in all of his evil glory not six feet in front of him. "I don't think I have ever heard of you making personal inquiries into your business. This is quite the honor." Vic slowly began to move his gun from behind his back. "I'm sorry to tell you that I don't think I have any information for you. I'm sorry you had to waste a trip to the slums."  
  
"I'm sure you can help me Mr. Healy. In fact, I'd be willing to bet my life on it." Frankie Tang said smoothly.  
  
In a second the dimly lit shop was brightly illuminated by a gunshot. Vic Healy stared at Frankie Tang's face, his gun raised. He stared at Frankie Tang's face, the image of it so shockingly lit by the firing of the gun burned into his memory forever. His eyes slowly slid from that face to the smoking barrel of the gun still held in the firm grasp of Tang's right hand.  
  
Jet Black had taken a bullet for Vic a long time ago, and now Vic had repaid the debt. Vic fell slowly to his knees, his gun dropping from his hand, as he put the hand to the wound in his stomach. His eyes stayed on Frankie Tang as the tall man walked slowly towards him, gun still raised and still smoking. Vic had now taken a bullet for Jet; however, it looked like that bullet wouldn't be his last. And it seemed as though Vic's act of friendship and camaraderie would be in vain. Jet Black was going to follow Vic to the grave; Vic knew that there was a bullet in that gun with the Black Dog's name written all over it. But the least Vic could do was buy his old friend some time.  
  
"Now, Mr. Healy," Tang said in that smooth deep voice of his as he smiled down on the fallen and bleeding old man. "About that information I needed."

* * *

"I can't believe you two." Jet yelled into the video link. He sat in his Hammerhead, white cowboy hat sitting on the console, and the split link of Faye and Spike on his screen. "You were supposed to make sure she stayed put."  
  
"I hope you aren't blaming me," Faye said quickly. "I'm the one who noticed she was gone you know. Lunkhead here was the one not keeping his eyes on the brat."  
  
"Don't even start, Faye." Spike said glaring at Faye on his own communicator.  
  
"Enough, I'm not in the mood for this shit." Jet barked. "Just find her. I'm going to head back to the Bebop. I don't like carrying this hat and those pieces around with me. Find her quick and get her back. I've got a bad feeling."  
  
"Right." Spike and Faye said quickly and then both disconnected. Jet let out a sigh and ran his metal hand down his face. That kid was going to be the death of him. He opened his eyes and stared at the white cowboy hat sitting on top of his console.  
  
He'd always figured that Spike or Faye would be the death of him, he'd never really factored in Edward. But now that Ed had "grown-up" (he used the term lightly), she was just as dangerous as the other two. Not really as physically dangerous as or as mentally taxing as the older two idiots, but dangerous in another way. That kid had no sense of consequences, it was like she didn't really believe in them. Jet let out another sigh, as the incoming call warning beeped on his console. Aggravated and expecting it to be Spike or Faye, Jet rammed his finger into the answer button.  
  
"What now?" he said running his hand over his face again.  
  
"Jet?" A woman's voice filled the empty space of the Hammerhead. Jet kept his hand on his face, his eyes wide behind his fingers. The voice stopped his heart, stopped his breathing, it stopped the world. He knew that voice, the silky beautiful bells of it's high and low pitches, the intoxicating sound of its laughter. He knew that voice so well he could even recognize it now, after ten years of it being gone.  
  
"Helena?" Jet said, letting his hand drop from his face. He was greeted with the static covered picture of a beautiful brunette. The static grew some, but Jet could still see that it was her; he could still see those intelligent hazel eyes staring back at him. Helena Winters.  
  
"Jet, I..." Helena began but stopped, her eyes darting around. Jet could see the blue and red lights flashing behind her, and he could hear the murmured voices. "We need to talk, Jet."  
  
"What's going on?" Jet asked, his body inching forward in his seat a bit.  
  
"We need to talk, Jet." Helena repeated, her eyes narrowing a bit on his face. "Vic Healy is dead."  
  
"What?" Jet yelled back. "That's not possible." Jet's eyes went from the screen to the white cowboy hat above it. He remembered Vic telling him that he had bitten off more than he could chew. Jet's hands clenched and his eyes went back to those orbs of vivid hazel that were still narrowed at him through the static of the communicator. "Frankie Tang."  
  
"We need to talk, Black." Helena said, a bit more forceful this time.  
  
"Officially or unofficially, Winters?" Jet shot back, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"That's a stupid question, and you know it." Helena returned, her eyes narrowed to small slits.  
  
"Tomorrow morning, I've got something I need to do." Jet said back slowly. His eyes again went to the white cowboy hat above the console. Frankie Tang had gotten to Vic in no time, Jet had only left Vic an hour ago. "8 am sharp, Jet." Helena said, her voice losing some of its edge. Jet's eyes went back to hers, and remained there for a few moments. "At Dock 6, don't be late." Helena then disconnected and left Jet with a black screen. He stared at that screen for a few seconds. Getting romantically involved with ISSP Investigator Helena Winters had been the best and worst mistake of his life, and it looked like that mistake was going to stay with him for the rest of his life.  
  
Jet shook his head, sped up his Hammerhead, and quickly pushed the buttons to link him to Spike.  
  
"What's up?" Spike said over the comm. Channel.  
  
"We've got a problem." Jet said.

* * *

Edward sat hunched over her keyboard, staring into the bright screen of Tomato. Her fingers had stopped flying over the keyboard, and now she was busy just reading all of the information she had successfully hacked into. Beside her Ein yawned and laid his head on his paws, silently keeping watch and eagerly awaiting the return home.  
  
Edward had downloaded as many of the files as she possibly could on the ECHO. She had come up with news articles on the ship from the early stages of construction, to the mysterious disappearance of the ship. She had also downloaded schematics for the ship, and was right now busy marveling at the intricacy of the construction. Ed's head was so far into the tiny details of the hull design that she didn't hear the footsteps come up behind her.  
  
There was a small scuff of gravel, and Ein's head popped up. He turned and saw the figure just as it placed an angry hand to Edward's shoulder.  
  
"I've got you, you little brat." Faye said as she yanked Ed back a bit from the computer screen.  
  
"Faye-Faye!" Ed yelled as she jumped up from her seated position. Ed put her arms in the air and began jumping in the air a large grin on her still goggled face. "Faye-Faye came for Edward."  
  
"Of course, I did. Jet screamed at us. Do you know how much trouble you are in? Hell, do you know how much trouble you got Spike and me in?" Faye grabbed her communicator from her pocket and dialed Spike, her eyes going to Ein at her feet. "And you. You let her go out. I'm very disappointed." Ein whined and placed his head back on his paws, while Ed continued to dance around still connected by the goggles to Tomato. "Spike, I found the little imp. I'm at Pier 14. Where are you?"  
  
"Not far, stay put." Spike said quickly over the static filled channel.  
  
"Stay put?" Faye said raising a brow. "Hell no. It's getting dark, and it's probably going to start raining any minute. We'll just meet you at the ship." Faye went to disconnect the communication.  
  
"No." Spike's voice yelled back. He was angry, Faye could tell that just from the voice. She furrowed her brow and looked back at the communicator. "Faye, just stay put and wait for me. I'll be there in a minute."  
  
"What's going on?" Faye said, narrowing her eyes at the communicator. She could tell that Spike was worried, and she could also see that he was running. "Damn it, what's going on?"  
  
"Hey, Edward knows you." Ed's voice broke Faye's thoughts and she looked to the young girl beside her. Ed stood holding her Tomato, a large grin on her face, and a hand pointing in front of her. Suddenly Ed's face changed and her grin turned into an excited grimace. "Shit."  
  
"Huh?" Faye said spinning, but keeping her eyes on Edward. "Hey, watch your mouth." Faye said. She then turned and noticed the group of men that Edward was pointing at standing down at the entrance to the pier. "Shit."  
  
Spike rounded a corner, and stared at his communicator as he listened to Faye and Edward. "What's going on?" He yelled into it as he headed straight for the lamps at the entrance to Pier 14. "Faye? Damn it. What's going on?" His head then darted upward as gunshots filled the air. He heard them on the communicator and then echoing in the air of the pier. "Damn."  
  
"Spike?" Faye's out of breath voice crackled over the communicator: the static was too bad to make out a visual of her. "Be a good partner and get your bony ass over here."  
  
"I'm coming." Spike barked back, drawing his gun from its holster and making a mad dash onto the pier. "Where is here?"  
  
Faye dashed into an alleyway, pushing Edward in front of her as she turned backwards and fired three shots at the two men behind her. Bullets whizzed by her face and she ducked her head and ran faster pushing Ed to go faster.  
  
"Oh, you'll find us." She said back. "Just follow the sound of the machine guns." Another barrage of bullets went off, and a bullet ripped through Faye's communicator. "Damn it." She turned angrily and fired six more quick shots hitting one of the men in the shoulder, and hand. "Ha, bastard."  
  
Spike slammed his communicator back into his pocket and ran full tilt toward the sound of the machine guns. This was not how he wanted to spend his evening; in fact, this was never how he wanted to spend his evening. Sure, he loved chasing bounties, but it was kind of annoying when the bounties chased you. Spike skidded around a corner and ran smack into Edward. The two of them went down to the wet wooden pier hard, Spike landing on his back, with Edward happily giggling on top of him. He grabbed the young girl by her shoulders and lifted her up slightly.  
  
"You all right?" Spike asked looking at her smiling face. Edward nodded enthusiastically and giggled again. Suddenly Spike looked up and watched as Faye rounded another corner, firing behind her blindly. She spotted Spike on the ground but kept running, leaping over is sprawled out legs.  
  
"Go! Go! Go!" she yelled as she ran past, grabbing Ein by the midsection as she went. It was then that Spike noticed the small ring drop from Faye's hand, and watched as she hurled a black ball down the alley.  
  
"Shit!" Spike yelled as he lifted Edward up and carried the still giggling teenager with him as he ran. He shifted the girl quickly to his back and ran full tilt, hearing her strange cackling laughter in his ears. "What the hell are you doing?" Spike yelled up at Faye as he caught up with her.  
  
"Getting the bad guys, Spike. Or would you rather get shot?" Faye snapped back at him. "They have high-powered machine guns, and we have three guns between us, a kid and a dog. Not good odds."  
  
"I see your point," Spike said as they ran. The grenade ticked to ten and then an explosion lit the darkness, and sent Faye and Spike stumbling into the dark brick walls on either side of them. Spike stared back at the glowing flames behind them. Edward popped her head over Spike's and gave a long "oooooooo" to the flaming buildings behind them. Spike looked at Faye beside him, and smiled. "So just where were you hiding that?"  
  
"We can play find the weapons later, cowboy." Faye said smiling over at him. "Right now, let's get back to the ship." She watched as Spike smirked back at her. "You going to carry her all the way back?" Faye said nodding her head Edward who was fashioned to Spike's back, with her arms wrapped around Spike's shoulders and her legs flailing at his sides.  
  
"I'm not going to risk her running off again." Spike said simply. "Besides she weighs about the same as a sheet of paper. Unlike you."  
  
"Don't start." Faye said as she adjusted Ein under her arm and started walking towards where the Bebop was docked. "Just don't start."  
  
"Edward is getting a piggy-back ride?" Ed said excitedly from her perch on Spike's back. "All right! Yay! Go piggy-Spike! Go!"  
  
Beside him, Spike heard Faye chuckle, and he turned to meet her entertained expression. "Not one word, Faye. Not one single word."

* * *

Jet, Faye, Spike, and Edward sat silently in the common room, each one staring at something different. Edward stared patiently at her Tomato, waiting for the images to become clear enough for her to show to her shipmates.  
  
Faye sat in the small yellow chair, filing her non-existent nails. Of course she wasn't really paying attention to the nails or the file, she merely used it as a way of checking out the room around her. Every so often she would sneak glances up at the people in the room with her. People she hadn't really spent time with in over a year. She was still amazed at how easy it had been for her to just rejoin her comrades on the Bebop. Tonight as she and Spike ran through that alley, or as she bickered with Jet and Spike over who was to blame for Edward's running out on them, it was as natural as breathing. She forgot how wonderful it was to be a part of this little dysfunctional family they had made.  
  
Now as she sat, mindlessly filing her nails, she stared at the back of the one member of the crew that made the whole little family work for her. Jet Black.  
  
Spike sat on the yellow sofa his head lying on the back, as he watched the smoke from his cigarette flow elegantly up to the ceiling fan. He had discovered over the years that this act was the most relaxing thing he could possibly ever do. Jet had his little trees, Faye had her showers, Ed the Tomato, and Spike had his cigarettes and the ceiling fan. Every once in a while he would steal a glance at Faye, who sat obviously concerned about something, filing away at her ragged nails. He followed Faye's line of sight to Jet  
  
Jet stood at the large window, his arms crossed over his chest, and a cigarette firmly in place between his lips. He stared out at the dark night, his eyes watching the rain as it fell behind the backdrop of the streetlights. Vic Healy was dead and it was all his fault. If he hadn't needed to be so damn positive of the make of the chips, if he could have just for once gone with the flow of the situation and had an insane adventure with his wild crew, Vic Healy would still be alive.  
  
Spike watched as Jet continued to stare out at the dark night. Now he knew why that window was always so filthy no matter how many times they washed it; because every time one of them had a problem they would stand there and smoke until they had sufficiently buried it deep in their subconscious. Tonight Jet had lost a good friend, and Spike knew that was something that the old man took very seriously. Jet was the kind of person to blame himself for everything that would go wrong. He was either too lenient, or too harsh, too early or too late, whatever the reason, Jet Black would always think there was something he could have done to prevent the inevitable. Spike smirked at Jet's back. And people though he liked to take control of situations, well, he had nothing on Jet.  
  
"Would you rather it have been you?" Spike said simply as he returned his gaze to the ceiling fan. Faye's eyes snapped to Spike, as Jet shifted in place.  
  
"No." Jet said simply. Faye's eyes went to Jet, and watched as he butted his cigarette out on the wall beside the window.  
  
"If you had been there, it would have been. Frankie Tang is not someone to take lightly." Spike said still keeping his eyes on the ceiling fan.  
  
"I know that," Jet snapped back. He turned around and glared at the lounging form of Spike on the sofa. "I know that." This time he said it softer, and Spike looked up at him and nodded his head.  
  
Faye shifted her gaze between the two men. Spike and Jet had always had this connection that Faye just wasn't a part of, they had always been able to read each other. She didn't really mind it before; she just went with it. Those two had been together, working together, for three years prior to her meeting them. They had history; something that she wasn't a part of. She looked at the floor. She'd been gone for a year and a half, alienated them, so of course she lost her place in their lives. She had thrown away the history that the three of them had made together for greener pastures. Screw it, she thought angrily. They were still comrades, and they still had a ship of gold to find. She looked up at the two men and threw her arms up in the air. She placed her hands on her knees and stared at the people in the room with her. "Okay, if you two are done having your little moment, let's get down to business."  
  
Spike and Jet both turned to look at her, each raised an amused eyebrow at the woman in the chair. Both of them were too stubborn to ever admit that it was nice to have her back. Though they would easily be the first to complain about the lack of quiet that came with it.  
  
"All right." Faye said nodding. "So first off, why exactly is Frankie Tang involved in this?"  
  
"You mean besides the fact that Ed stole from him?" Spike said leaning forward and putting his elbows on his thighs.  
  
"Yes, Lunkhead, besides that." Faye snapped. "Iditot," she mumbled getting herself a cigarette and lighting it. "Better question, who is Frankie Tang?"  
  
"Frankie Tang is one of those wonderful business men/criminals that are so bountiful in our line of work." Jet said moving forward. "I'm surprised you've never heard of him. I was sure he did dealings with Salvatore Diggs."  
  
Faye's eyes snapped up to meet Jet's. Jet met her gaze with an apologetic grimace. He mentally slapped himself and watched as Faye turned her gaze to the floor. Jet had been so involved in his thoughts about Vic Healy that he wasn't thinking about what he was really saying.  
  
"I'm sorry Faye, I didn't mean to bring up---"  
  
"Don't worry about it." Faye said waving a hand up at him and forcing a smile onto her lips. She looked up at him and then to Spike, who was staring intently at her face. He continued to stare at her, even after she looked away. "I didn't really pay much attention to that part of him." She said couldn't even bring herself to say his name. If she did, the nightmares would probably come back, and she didn't want to deal with that right now. "I didn't pay attention to those little details. But I guess it's those details that are important huh?" She looked up at Jet and shook off the apologetic gaze he was giving her. "Stop looking at me like that. It was a year and a half ago. I'm fine."  
  
"Liar." Spike mumbled from the sofa. She snapped her eyes back to his, and glared.  
  
"Shut up, Spike." Faye said through clenched teeth.  
  
"Frankie Tang has made most of his fortune by stealing ancient artifacts, and selling them to the highest bidder." Edward's matter of fact voice broke through Spike and Faye's staring match.  
  
"That's right, Ed." Jet said quickly putting the awkward moment behind them. "And it seems one of his life long passions has been the ECHO. Not that I blame him, the Ship of Gold would probably be the end all beat all of his entire career."  
  
"So Tang had a piece to the ship's key for how long? I mean why didn't he try and find the others?" Faye asked slowly removing her eyes from Spike's.  
  
"Because the other pieces are very well hidden." Edward said typing on her Tomato. "Hardly anyone even knows that a key exists. But Edward does. Father-person used to tell Edward stories about it. Those were Edward's favorite stories."  
  
"I'm sure he could have found out about it." Spike said taking a long drag from his cigarette. "A man like that, he wouldn't let something as small as that deter him from finding out what he wanted. They're good at getting answers."  
  
"Not when the people that have the pieces don't even know what they are." Edward said smiling up at Spike. "Edward got the first piece as a gift from Father-person, who found it on a dig. Ed only stumbled upon the special-ness of the piece by mistake."  
  
"So it stands to reason that if a computer genius like Ed doesn't know what the piece is, most people won't either." Jet said. "But how do we find the other pieces?"  
  
"Edward knows." Ed said doing a summersault off of the table, and rolling to Jet's feet. "The pieces can find one another. Edward has connected her piece with the Tomato, and it showed her this." She flipped the Tomato around so that they could see what looked like a radar on the screen, with small flashing dots. "Isn't it beautiful!" Ed said putting her hands to Jet's arm and bringing him closer to the screen.  
  
"What the hell?" Faye said moving in closer. "Are you telling me that each piece has a homing device imbedded in it?"  
  
"Yep, Yep." Ed said nodding frantically.  
  
"Why the hell didn't Tang use this to find the other pieces then?" Spike asked edging in closer.  
  
"Because he didn't have Tomato." Ed said simply.  
  
"Tang probably didn't have the computer skills necessary to hack into the technology of the ECHO. Not many people do. The computer design and systems created for the ship have never been replicated. It was the one of a kind wonder, almost too powerful for its own good." Jet said as he stared at the blinking dots. "Vic told me that Tang had contacted him, and asked him to try and crack the ECHO's code once before. But he couldn't." Jet looked at Edward and then back to the screen. "Looks like Ed is more of a genius than we ever gave her credit for."  
  
"Uh huh," Ed said nodding her head eagerly.  
  
"So are you telling me that we now have a map that will lead us directly to the different pieces necessary to finish the key?" Faye said looking up at her comrades. "That in essence we have the treasure map that will lead us to the Ship of Gold?"  
  
"Looks like it." Jet said standing up and smiling down at the screen.  
  
"So where's the next one?" Faye said excitedly putting her face as close to the screen as she could get.  
  
"Right here." Ed said flatly. "Well, not here, here. Out there, here." She pointed a hand out the large window and out into the dark rainy night. "Ganymede."  
  
Jet, Spike and Faye all looked out the window. Spike turned and met Faye's gaze, giving her a small smirk, which she quickly returned. They both then turned their smirking gazes to Jet's back.  
  
"Well, oh fearless leader, what's it going to be?" Spike said butting out his cigarette on the table.  
  
Jet turned around to meet the excited faces of the three members of his rag- tag troublesome crew.  
  
"What else?" Jet said smiling. "We go get those pieces, and find our treasure."

* * *

Okay guys that's it for chapter four. I hope you're still enjoying it, and I hope you read and review. It may be a little while before I can get Chapter five up, so please be patient, and enjoy what you have thus far. 


	5. Our Greatest Mistakes

Cursed  
  
Chapter 5 pt. 1: Our Greatest Mistakes  
  
Jet Black stood at the railing of Dock 6, his fingers loosely draped on the wet railing before him. There was a time when Jet would have been elated for this meeting; a time when he would have jumped at this chance no matter the circumstances that surrounded it. That was a time long ago, when he was known as the Black Dog by most of ISSP and a time when Helena Winters was his heart's desire.  
  
Those were memories of a time long ago, a time when Jet's heart hadn't been closed off by the harsh ways of the world. Strange to think that his comrades on the Bebop would laugh out loud to hear him think that way. To think of Jet Black as closed off in the heart department was blaspheme. He was the man who let three free-loaders (four if you counted the dog) live on his ship, and bring him nothing but trouble. The truly strange thing was that those free-loaders were the only things in his heart now, the only things he would make room for.  
  
Other things, things like Helena Winters, had lost their appeal long ago. Those things were mistakes to anyone who lived life the way he did, the way any of them did. Those things were mistakes never to be made again.  
  
So, Jet thought as he watched the ship approach from the distant horizon, why exactly was he standing here on this dock? And better yet, why did his stomach feel like it was trying to fly out through his throat?  
  
Simple, because all lessons in life are learned the hard way. Jet lit a cigarette and inhaled the acrid smoke deeply. And in Jet's life, they are learned over and over again.

* * *

Spike Spiegel stood at the small dock bar with a cigarette firmly in place between his tightly clamped lips. Beside him Faye stood with a hip to the railing, cigarette held loosely in her own crimson lips, and arms crossed over her chest. Spike smirked slightly at the way her cigarette bounced impatiently on her lips as they waited. Both bounty hunters stood in comfortable silence staring intently at the back of their partner's head.  
  
They had followed him off of the ship, even though he had made it painfully obvious that this was a private meeting. Both Spike and Faye (along with Ed) had at once decided that to let him go without any back up would be a clear mistake and completely against the rules of Bounty Hunter Camaraderie.  
  
They also realized just how difficult it would be to spy on their one and only Mr. Black, considering Ed was pooling all of her resources on locating the next piece to the ECHO.  
  
"Spy is such an ugly word," Faye had said as they stepped off of the Bebop and onto the wet wooden docks this morning. "I like to think of it as keeping an eye on our assets."  
  
Spike had merely laughed. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized just how right Faye had been. They were keeping an eye on their assets, and Jet Black was probably the biggest asset either of them had.

* * *

Jet lifted the collar of his jacket slightly as he watched the ISSP class nine cruiser ship slowly decelerate and dock. He swiveled his eyes to watch as Helena Winters stepped easily out of the ship, her dark blue coat whipped at her ankles, and her eyes met his.  
  
Helena Winters was Jet's Julia, at least that's how he rationalized it to himself now, although his obsession was not nearly as dangerous as Spike's. She was beautiful, always had been, and Jet had found himself in love with her from the instant he met her. He was twenty-one when she first walked into his life. They were both new to ISSP, and both head of the class in their respective departments. The only problem with their relationship was that Helena was Internal Affairs, a microscope for the department, and Jet's partner had been the one under the microscope. A few dinners, led quickly to a few more, and even more quickly to bed.  
  
His affair with Helena Winters was short lived, only two years, but it was two years of his life that he would never forget. There was something strange about his attraction to Helena; every time they saw each other they ended up hurting each other. Not that Jet was complaining, considering the path they took to that end was anything but painful.  
  
Jet felt himself smile as he watch Helena step towards him. Her brown hair blew past her face, and as she lifted her hand to remove the hair Jet caught a glimpse of the ring on her finger. His heart fell, though he couldn't really explain why. Or at least he knew he didn't want to.  
  
Helena's hazel eyes shifted to follow his gaze, and she smiled sadly at him as she lowered her hand. "It's been a long time, Jet." She said.  
  
"Years." Jet said back, his cigarette bobbing slightly as his lips barely moved. He turned his body to face her completely, and watched as she came to a quick stop only a foot from him.

* * *

Spike watched Jet's body language as the woman approached him. He was stiff as a board, completely uncomfortable. It was a reaction that Spike had never seen the man exhibit, a reaction that he had never expected to see.  
  
"It's weird." Spike said quietly as he took a long drag off of his cigarette. He slowly bent and put his forearms on the railing, relaxing for what looked like a long exchange.  
  
"You mean icky," Faye retorted as she turned and leaned her butt against the railing. She let a slow stream of smoke escape her mouth, and looked over her shoulder at Jet and the woman.  
  
"Yes, because I often think in terms of 'icky'." Spike said sarcastically. He shifted his gaze to catch the nasty look that crossed Faye's face, and then shifted it back. The small dock bar was once again silent, save for the small noises made as the paper of the cigarettes burned slowly down to nothing.  
  
Faye let out a sigh, and turned to lean on the railing beside Spike. She tossed her cigarette out to the water and ran a hand through her hair.  
  
"I know what you mean," she said keeping her eyes on Jet. "It's strange seeing him with someone. He's always..." She stopped and searched for the right words. "I've always thought of him as kind of a priest."  
  
Spike barked out a laugh. "A priest, huh?" He said turning his smiling face towards her beautifully furrowed brow. "You ever run that thought past him?"  
  
"Thinking about Jet and sex hurts my head." She said putting her fingers to her temple. Spike let out another laugh, smaller than the first and tossed his cigarette out at the water. He watched as Jet and the woman began to talk. They were too far away to hear what exactly was being said, but not too far to miss the way Jet's hands remained in fists at his sides.  
  
"I've known him for about six years now," Spike began staring at Jet's hands. "Six years, and he's never once discussed women with me." At this Faye turned her head to look at Spike.  
  
It was strange to hear Spike talk this way about Jet. Strange to hear that the two men did not share everything that was on their minds, as Faye had felt they did. For the past three (closer to four now that she thought about it) years that Faye had know these two men, she had always felt a bit out of the loop. Hearing the strange tone in Spike's voice at this moment made her think twice about that previous assessment. The fact that she and Spike were probably closer than she ever believed the two men to be, sent a small shiver of unease down her spine. Faye, being Faye, decided that shiver needed to be doused with crude, easy humor.  
  
"Oh come on," she said smiling. "I've walked in on a few of those testosterone filled, beer drenched conversations."  
  
"All men talk shop, Faye." Spike said simply, emphasizing the word 'shop' with a quick fading smirk. "Not all men talk love. There's a big difference. And Jet Black has never once talked love with me."  
  
"Huh," Faye said, or rather practically grumbled. That stupid shiver was back, and the lunkhead was not letting it be put to rest.  
  
"Not even the one we had a run in with." Spike continued solemnly, his eyes narrowing further on the two figures in the not far off distance. "What was her name...Alice, Alicia, something like that. Never once. It's almost like he's shut off that part of himself."  
  
"Or maybe someone shut it off for him," Faye said turning her eyes to Jet and the woman on the dock, for now forgetting her little shiver. "Maybe her." She pointed a finger and then looked at the water. Spike's eyes were on the side of Faye's face, trying to see through the veil of her hair. Sometimes he wished she still wore that stupid headband, so he could see her face all the time. "Women can do that you know, they can shut someone off completely. Only certain ones though, you know." Faye continued and turned her face to Spike. The eye contact was brief, but heavy, and Spike was the one to look away this time.  
  
"Yeah." He said simply. He turned his head back just in time to catch Jet looking directly at them. He stood up straight and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Uh oh."  
  
"Great assessment of the situation as always, Lunkhead." Faye grumbled as she too stood up and held her black sweater firmly to her body.

* * *

"I'm sorry about Vic." Helena said. She was just as self assured as Jet remembered her to be. She didn't lower her head when she gave her condolences, instead she kept direct eye contact. She was watching him, watching for his reaction. She was a cop to the core, and that was probably what Jet found the most attractive about her; the thing that made him love her.  
  
"I didn't kill him." Jet said steadily, the cigarette bouncing roughly. Helena stared at him a few seconds longer, and finally nodded her head slowly. Now her eyes dropped, to the ground, and her right hand fiddled with the ring on her left.  
  
"I know." She said. "Jet---". She let out a disgruntled breath and smiled up at him shaking her head. "Why the hell is this hard? It's never been hard before."  
  
"It's never been official before." Jet said.  
  
"It's not official now," Helena said angrily. "I'm here because I'm your friend. I'm worried."  
  
"You're after Frankie Tang." Jet said firmly, tossing the dwindling butt to the water. "That's why you're here, Helena. I don't blame you. If I was in your position I would be doing the same thing."  
  
"You're an asshole." Helena said quickly. "You're getting in over your head, and I'm here to help." She shoved her hands into her pockets. "Jet, I know you met with Healy before he was killed. You're the last person to see him alive. So I know damn well, that you would be here if our positions were switched. I also know that you would be just as straight- forward about the situation as I'm going to be. So drop the tough, Black Dog persona, because it doesn't work with me."  
  
Jet stood firm, and let the wind whip at his jacket. She was right. Damn it.  
  
"Why did you meet with Healy?" Helena asked.  
  
"I like to keep in touch, he's a good friend." Jet said simply, as he placed his hands into his pockets. It was his casual pose, his easy going, 'I'm not lying officer' pose. It was unbeatable.  
  
"I was a good friend, but you never looked me up once when you stopped here." Helena said softly. And there it was, those little bells in her voice that totally destroyed his composure. The pose had been beaten by damn bells that weren't even there. "Want to try again?"  
  
"I met him for lunch and then we went to his shop. He was looking at a few things for me."  
  
"What kind of things?"  
  
"Computer things." Jet said simply. "My ship's computer has been acting a bit weird."  
  
"You're a bad liar, Black. Always were." Helena smiled at him, and his fists clenched in his jacket pockets. She stepped a bit closer, and leaned towards him. "Let me ask you a question you don't have to lie about." Jet raised a brow at her, and then watched as her smile fell. "Do you really not trust me? I mean, did you really think I would do something to you? The bodyguards are a bit much."  
  
Jet's gaze shifted quickly from her face to the dynamic duo on the dock not far off. He smiled slightly and rolled his eyes. "They're nosy, not bodyguards. They followed me from the ship, and I didn't have the energy to yell at them."  
  
"Partners?" Helena asked amusedly. Jet nodded, turning to face the two figures casually leaning on the railing of the small bar. "They're obviously good ones. Good friends. It would be terrible if something happened to them."  
  
"Threats never did suit you, Helena." Jet said simply as he lifted a hand and beckoned Spike and Faye towards him.  
  
"I'm not threatening them, Jet, you are." Helena watched as the lanky man, and the slender woman walked slowly towards them. Jet turned an angry, and slightly confused glare to her and she inwardly winced. He'd fixed her with glares before; the type of relationship they maintained over the years called for it. But this glare spoke volumes, it spoke to the deep feelings he had for these two people. She cleared her throat and maintained her eye contact. "Whatever the hell you are getting yourself into with Frankie Tang is threatening them, Jet. If you don't realize that, if Vic Healy's death hasn't opened your eyes up to that, then they are as good as dead."  
  
"They can take care of themselves." Jet said turning away from her and walking away. The cold breeze that blew on her face as he turned served as all the slap to the face he was holding in. Helena moved slowly to catch up with Jet's retreating form, and she came to a stop slightly away from the three of them. Her eyes locked on the form of the young woman. She was beautiful, and obviously important to Jet from his reactions to her statements, and Helena found herself wondering as to what kind of relationship the woman shared with Jet.  
  
"I thought I told you two to stay put," Jet grumbled, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket.  
  
"Did you?" Faye asked feigning surprise. As they walked over she and Spike had discussed how best to handle the on-coming questions. They had both decided that Jet would simply not understand the 'looking out for our assets' thing. So they had decided that ignorance was the next best thing.  
  
"Don't be stupid, Faye." Jet said rolling his eyes. "I told you two to stay put, and I meant it. This doesn't involve you."  
  
"What involves one of us, involves all of us." Spike said simply.  
  
"Bullshit." Jet barked back. "You are the last person allowed to say that kind of thing, Spike."  
  
"I have to agree on that one, puff-head." Faye added. "That was pretty dumb coming from you."  
  
Spike opened his mouth to say something back, but Jet put up his hands, sparing a quick glance back at Helena who was standing silently behind them. "All right, before you two start with the damn bickering, just shut up." He put down his hands and made eye contact with both of his partners, but lingering on Spike. "Spike, why don't you two head back and check on that list that Ed is making. I don't know how long this is going to take, could be all day. You two go out and get what we need, so that we are ready to take off when I get back."  
  
Spike stared at Jet, his face stone serious as his eyes shifted to the woman with the brown hair behind them. Slowly he began to nod his head, placing his hands into his jacket pockets. Faye raised a slender brow slowly, realizing that Jet was willingly sending them to pick up the third piece to the key on their own. She swiveled her eyes to the pretty brunette behind Jet.  
  
"What no introductions?" Faye asked amusedly.  
  
"No." Jet barked out, more irritated than angry.  
  
"Call us if you need us." Spike said taking Faye by the elbow and beginning to drag her away from Jet and his woman. "We'll get what we need."  
  
Spike dragged Faye along a bit, before she finally wiggled out of his grip. As they walked, she turned her head and looked over her shoulders to see Jet turn rigidly back to the woman from ISSP. She stared at the woman, a straight-faced and obviously life-time member of the 'good side' of the law. Faye's eyes narrowed a bit, but then a smile snuck its way slowly onto her face. "At least she isn't blonde," Faye mumbled.  
  
"What?" Spike said furrowing his brow and turning his head to glare at Faye.  
  
"Nothing." Faye said still staring at Jet and the woman as they began to make their way down the docks. "Nothing at all, Spike."

* * *

"You want to try the truth now?" Helena said as she slowly sipped on her glass of water. "I mean, I think I've taken the bullshit with a patience that befits a saint."  
  
Jet smirked slightly at Helena across the table from him, and interlaced his hands on top of the table. They had been spent the entire day together, and as the sun set on the Docks of Ganymede they had finally settled in for a light dinner and a no-name diner. After Jet had sent Faye and Spike on their merry way, no doubt to wreak havoc in many different and inventive ways, Helena had tried a new tact. Jet had been chuckling the whole time, as she tried her 'let's just be friends and talk about what's been going on' line of questioning.  
  
They had talked about everything. Jet had explained the strange relationship between him and his crazy crew. And Helena had explained about her life, and the gold wedding band sitting uncomfortably on her left hand. They had both left out things; Jet about the ECHO, and Helena about her husband. Now, hours later, they were past the awkwardness that had been in the air when they first saw each other, and like all the other times they had seen each other in the past had moved easily into comfort.  
  
This was step one on the way to a big mistake, but Jet didn't care.  
  
"I've told you the truth." Jet said still smiling. "Do you still like your sandwiches on rye bread?" Jet asked eyeing the menu.  
  
"You're being difficult." Helena said, but she was smiling. Jet smirked at her as he looked up from the menu. "Yes." She said rolling her eyes.  
  
"Some things never change." Jet said shaking his head.  
  
"And some things do." Helena said. "Jet, I'm only trying to help."  
  
"You keep saying that." Jet said setting the menu down. "How many years have you been after Tang now? Six? Seven?" Jet looked up at her and smiled sadly. "I'm pretty sure the last time we talked you mentioned it. You were looking into some reports that cops were hiding evidence for him, right?"  
  
"You remember that?" Helena said a bit surprised. "I would have thought.--- "  
  
"I remember every conversation we've ever had, Helena." Jet responded, lowering his head. He was embarrassed, that was something new. "So you've been after Tang for seven years right? And you've managed to stay alive. So why are you worrying about me. I'm not that old."  
  
"No, you're not," Helena said smiling. "Not at all." The two of them locked gazes over the table, and neither had the will to break it. "But I'm worried just the same."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'll play Jet, but not alone." Helena said leaning forward a bit, her expression going serious. Jet nodded his head slightly, and then held out a hand for her to continue. Jet Black was a firm believer in the 'lady's first' area. "I've been watching Tang's movement's for the past seven years, and over those years he's been expanding his business. The man is insane Jet, and it's just becoming evident in the last five years. He's obsessed with some stupid old legend, the ECHO." Jet's brows raised slightly at the mention of the ship and the action did not go unnoticed by Helena.  
  
"Obsessed how?" Jet asked.  
  
"Obsessed like he's killed ten people in the last year alone because they couldn't get what he wanted." Helena shot back. "Obsessed like, he probably killed Vic Healy for that same reason." Helena leaned forward and took his hand. "Jet, they tortured him. Healy was shot six times, none of them truly the cause of his death. They chopped off two fingers, and took out an eye. They finished him off by jamming a screwdriver down his throat."  
  
"Jesus," Jet said in a harsh whisper snatching his hand away from her and standing up. He had to get out of there, suddenly he needed some air. "Damn you." He hissed as he left the bar, his stomach began to clench and as the cool air of evening hit his face, he thought he would throw up.  
  
Vic Healy's death was his fault, it was something that would weigh on his soul for the rest of his life. However long that would be. He ran his metallic hand down his sweaty face, and clenched his hands tightly around the wet railing. Hearing the extent to which Tang had taken the murder of Healy was horrifying. The thought of the torture, just proved how insane Tang was, and proved how far the man was going to take this. As Jet stared at the waters below him, he finally realized that perhaps he had bitten off more than he could chew. He also realized that he wasn't the only one in trouble.  
  
"You always did take everything onto your shoulders." Helena said as she walked came up beside him, and stared down at the dark waters. She watched as the yellow light from the above street lamp reflected in the water slightly distorted their own reflections in the water. "It's one of the things that I loved about you."  
  
Jet's eyes remained on the water, but his heart had skipped completely out of his chest. He felt her warm hand land on his, and he heard the damn bells in her voice as she spoke again.  
  
"You can't blame yourself, Jet. Tang would have killed him eventually anyway." Helena squeezed his hand slightly. "Tang had contacted Healy earlier about the ECHO mystery, and Healy had come up with nothing. Tang didn't like that, he had offered Healy a second chance, and Healy graciously declined." She lightly pulled at his hand and turned him to look at her. "Jet, you didn't kill him."  
  
"I sped it up rather nicely." Jet said looking away from her inviting gaze.  
  
"Talk to me, Jet. Tell me what you're looking for. Let me help you." Helena stepped into him a bit, and tightened her grip on his hand. "Jet, I'm not your enemy. I could never be your enemy. I love you too much."  
  
Jet's eyes snapped to hers, those beautiful and intelligent hazel orbs staring deep into his heart. She stared up at him, and he could feel that tightening in his stomach again, only this time he recognized exactly what the feeling was. And that was a feeling he thought he put a stop to a long time ago. Slowly Jet lowered his head and kissed her.  
  
Step two on the road to a great mistake, had been achieved.

* * *

It had taken Ed all day to figure out where the third piece to the ECHO key was hiding. After four hours of trying to pin point the exact location, and sending Spike and Faye on six different outings to find nothing, Ed finally discovered the problem. Each piece of the puzzle led to the other piece.  
  
"So Ed, who was using the first piece she had been given to locate the others, was doing it all wrong." Ed explained to Spike and Faye nearly an hour ago. "The first piece led to the second piece, the one Ed stole from the bad man. But that was it." At this point Spike and Faye had exchanged annoyed glances but remained silent. "The other dots Ed saw were merely reflections of the second piece. It seems as though the great and powerful men who designed the ECHO key's internal mapping system also created a simple way to confuse would be treasure seekers. Ed is very impressed."  
  
Spike and Faye rolled their eyes at this but again remained silent. With Jet MIA they were trying very hard to maintain their cool 'we're adults and can handle things' exterior. This was something very hard to do with Edward around.  
  
"So, to find the third piece Ed must hook up the second piece and decrypt the codes in that one. Very hard to do. Very hard. The encryption gets more difficult. But Edward can do it! It will just take some time."  
  
And time was what they had. They had all the time in the world, or so it would seem. Spike had convinced Faye that it would be best to stay on board until Ed figured out where the next piece was. That way they wouldn't be targets for Tang's men.  
  
Both of them were worried about Jet, even Ed had voiced a bit of unease at his being gone all day, but they knew Jet could take care of himself. Plus, they both silently agreed that who ever this woman was, Jet needed to spend some time with her. It had been in the air around them at the docks that morning. Jet's past was something he kept pretty close to himself, that was one of the reasons he fit in so well with the rest of them on this ship. So Spike and Faye had decided to let the old man go, this was his adventure as much as it was theirs, so he deserved a bit of the story.  
  
Through out the day, Spike and Faye had pretty much maintained a big buffer zone between them. They didn't linger in the same room for too long, and while they did occupy the same space the didn't really talk. There wasn't really much to say to one another. Neither of them could work up the nerve to discuss what was left unfinished between them, and probably never would. Once or twice they would discuss where they thought Jet was, or if they thought he was okay. And only once did Faye ask about the Blue Port, to which Spike had responded with nothing but silence. Other than those simple minute long conversations, they said nothing, and simply sat in silence.  
  
It was that same comfortable silence that they had grown into during their last adventure. A silence that had not existed during the early months of their working together. But it was a bit different now, that comfortable feeling was not as long lived as it had been. In fact, it was easily done away with whenever they would lock eyes. It was that point when Faye would usually leave the room, and Spike would angrily glare at his ceiling fan.  
  
It was well-past eight o'clock at night when Ed finally got a lock on the third piece, and the duo now found themselves walking the darkened docks of Ganymede on yet another search. Jet had not checked in, and to say that they weren't a bit apprehensive was a lie, but they dealt with it in stride. 'He's a big boy', was there mantra as they walked.  
  
Spike walked with his shoulders hunched, and his hands deep into his pockets listening as Faye talked with Ed on the comm.  
  
"Are you sure about this one Ed," Faye said the annoyance clear in her voice. "Because if this is another dead end, I'm going to wring your little neck when we get back."  
  
"Ed is positive, Faye-Faye." Ed said her excited tone muffled a bit by the static on the line.  
  
"Good." Spike mumbled.  
  
"Ed still thinks she should have been able to come along." Ed's disappointment was evident. Faye smiled as she could envision the pout on the teenager's expressive face.  
  
"Sorry, kid, you heard the big guy." Faye said giving a sideways smirk to Spike beside her. "Jet says your grounded, so that's that. Maybe next time."  
  
"Yay! Ed gets to go on the next treasure hunt, with captain Faye-Faye!" Ed's sing-song voice brought a smile to both Spike and Faye's faces as Faye cut the line.  
  
"You got her hopes up, you're going to have to deal with it." Spike said simply, watching as Faye shoved the comm. back into her pocket. She waved him off and rolled her eyes as they continued their stroll down the dark docks.  
  
"I still think we're heading the wrong way." Faye said after a few moments of silence. She crossed her arms over her chest, and let her eyes survey the area. Spike watched her eyes move, and the respect he had for her abilities as a bounty hunter were reassured. Over the years Faye had developed a keen sense of her surroundings, and she had become a formidable bounty hunter and a great partner. He watched as her hand slid over the fabric of her black sweater, right where her guns were hidden. She was on edge.  
  
"Relax." Spike said simply. Faye's eyes snapped to him, and she stared at the side of his face. They walked in silence for the next five minutes, until finally Faye couldn't handle it anymore.  
  
"So, you never answered my question before. About the Blue Port." Faye began nonchalantly. She glanced over at Spike and noticed a small almost imperceptible smirk on his lips, lit by his lighter as he lit his cigarette. "So, Jet kept it for me, that much is clear. The question is, why?"  
  
"Maybe you should ask Jet." Spike responded quietly. This was the second time today that she had resorted to this subject as a way to alleviate the tension in the air around them. And honestly he didn't want to deal with it.  
  
"Huh," Faye said eyeing him. "Maybe I will." She turned her eyes forward, and let the silence settle around them again. She hated the comfort of their silences. She hated the fact that they knew each other so well, that they didn't even need to signal when to stop or turn, or discuss bringing back up weapons, or even really make plans anymore. She hated the fact that they could read each other like children's books, and it didn't help their volatile relationship. They were made to clash, it was that simple.  
  
The silence hung this time for fifteen minutes, and this time it was Spike who broke down. He walked beside her watching as her eyes shifted around the area, watching as she would scoot slightly away from him if they happened to venture near the vicinity of one another. He watched as she would constantly feign interest in her nails, and do other obvious moves to try and prove to him that she wasn't completely uncomfortable walking with him. This damn apprehension in her was infuriating.  
  
"Why are you here, Faye?" He asked, his eyes not leaving the wet wood below his feet. When she didn't answer, he looked up at her and found her staring at him in disbelief. She had stopped walking, and was simply looking at him in shock. He'd surprised her, he felt the smirk come to his lips unbidden. As Faye saw the smirk, she shook her head and her shock was covered with annoyance.  
  
"I think we already went over this, Lunkhead." Faye began walking again and caught up with him, and then past him. "Remember Ship of Gold. Treasure. I think you're getting senile in your old age."  
  
"You know what I'm talking about, Faye." Spike said quietly, his voice a gruff whisper as he moved into step beside her once again. Faye looked at him from the corner of her eye. "I can see it, Jet can see it, hell I'm sure even Ed and the dog can see it. You don't want to be here. You're uncomfortable, jittery as hell on the ship; you're not yourself." He paused and looked her in the eye. "So I'm asking you, as a partner, as someone who depends on you for back up, as a friend, though I use the term lightly. Why the hell are you here? Why are you standing on this dock, walking with me? Why did you come back to the Bebop? Why are you here with us, why are you here with me, when I know that all you've wanted to do since you stepped foot on board is run away again."  
  
Faye stopped walking again, and stared into Spike's eyes. They stood there on the dock, trying to read each other for what seemed like hours, but was really only seconds. Faye tried to figure out where all this was coming from, she tried to figure out what the hell he was so upset about. And oh, he was upset. She could see it as clear as day. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, no matter how even a tone his voice had maintained through out his little questioning, she could hear that little bit of anger boiling just below the surface. But why? She finally gave up and answered in the only way she could.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
There was another pause, not a long one, but an essential one. At the same instant they both began to walk at an even slower pace towards their destination.  
  
"You don't have to be, not if you don't want to." Spike said evenly as they walked.  
  
"Maybe I should want to." Faye said quietly. The sound of her voice caused Spike to look at her. "Maybe that's why." She stared at the ground as she said it, even though she could feel his gaze on the side of her face. She resisted the urge to look at him, and instead looked the buildings in the far off distance. "Why do you care?"  
  
Spike turned his gaze to the front as well, and let out an exasperated sigh. He ran his hand through his unruly mop and answered the only way he knew how. "I don't know."  
  
They walked a few more steps in silence, and then Spike heard it. Her voice seemed to come from inside his own head. It was nothing but a whisper, and barely that, but he heard it as clearly as if she had yelled it.  
  
"You don't have to," she began quietly, almost reluctantly. "Not if you don't want to."  
  
That was it. That was the first step on the road to destruction. He knew the second he asked the question, that this whole conversation was a big mistake.  
  
They walked the rest of the way towards the location of the third key, in complete silence. The location turned out to be a small floating warehouse in the middle of the water. Men in worker uniforms and some in suits and ties were walking in and out, and the lights were all on.  
  
"Pretty busy for after hours." Spike said, looking through a pair of binoculars. He handed them over to Faye.  
  
"A little too busy, cowboy." Faye said looking through the binoculars. "Those guys look like the one's that were chasing Ed and me. And they're packing some serious heat. But if you're up for it."  
  
"No, it's too risky." Spike said taking the binoculars back and scooping the place out. "We'll head back to the ship, and then see what Jet wants to do. I'm thinking we'll need him for this one."  
  
"Aye-aye, Captain." Faye said jokingly. Spike smirked at her and they turned towards home. Oh, how easily we forget our mistakes, especially when they are simple and small.

* * *

The greatest mistakes of our lives do not come on all at once. They are built up to, planned in a sense by the fates that dictate our lives. People are given warning, they are shown the signs and the steps necessary to make them, and it is up to the people to either heed the warnings or ignore them.  
  
As Jet sat in the small chair by the bedside staring out at the window, he realized for the first time that he was just as much of an idiot as Faye and Spike. Jet inhaled from his cigarette and let his eyes linger on the skyline before him.  
  
The greatest mistakes are the most often repeated. And as Jet turned his gaze from the starlit sky to the bed, he knew that if given even half the chance he would repeat this mistake as many times as the devil would let him.  
  
There in the bed, with the moonlight shining on the white sheet and her skin, lay Helena Winters. Her body was curled on its side, her one arms slung over on to the empty area that he had only recently vacated. Her slender fingers curled into the sheets and the moonlight struck off of the small gold band on her finger.  
  
Jet looked away instantly.  
  
Spike had contacted him ten minutes ago, and informed him of the activity at the location of the third piece. They would need him if they had any chance of getting the piece. He knew what he had to do, he just had to force himself to do it.  
  
Finally Jet, butted out his cigarette on the wall next to the window, and stood up. He retrieved his shirt from the floor and put it on. As he placed his gun in the holster and put on his jacket his eyes strayed to Helena in the bed. He took two slow deliberate steps towards the bed, but stopped mid-third. He closed his eyes and turned back around walking towards the door.  
  
Walking away was the another mistake he was always repeating. Walking away was the only mistake he repeated with Helena that he regretted the second he did it. Walking away was the greatest mistake, it was the mistake that cursed his entire crew.  
  
But, as Jet walked towards the docks and made his way back home, he smiled. With out walking away, there isn't any chance to walk back in.

* * *

A long chapter, a long time coming. This one was more just the drama stuff, the characters and the dialogue. Hope you guys enjoy, and keep reading and reviewing. Let me know what you think. Next Chapter 5 pt. 2: Happy Birthday 


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